The Mayor

Councillor Raj Mehta was elected as Mayor for 2022/2023 at the Annual Council Meeting and Mayor Making Ceremony on Thursday, 19 May 2022. Raj will be supported during his term in office by the Mayoress, Dr Poonam Mehta. 

After moving to Telford over 15 years ago with his wife Poonam and their two children, Swastik and Rahul, Raj became a Borough Councillor in the 2016 by-election for Horsehay and Lightmoor ward. Raj currently holds the position of Chair of Lawley and Overdale Parish Council and is also a local parish Councillor for Dawley Hamlets Parish Council and Great Dawley Town Council. 

Raj has continued his work in the community as a Trustee for the Leegate Centre and a Committee member of the Horsehay Village Hall as well as his extremely busy role as Chair of the Telford & Wrekin Interfaith Council, a group designed to build community ties and support cultural celebration.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Raj was at the forefront of supporting the delivery of food packages for communities, an official out of hours food bank and a walk-in vaccination site. To lift community spirits and bring smiles to people’s faces, over the Christmas periods, Raj has travelled across the borough on behalf of Santa, taking the time to send well wishes onto our young people. Following an appeal for help and donations, Raj also campaigned to obtain two and a half thousand Easter Eggs, which were delivered to the Borough’s most vulnerable children and young people via the Interfaith Council

Raj has been working with the NHS for over two decades and runs a medical practice in Birmingham, where he is also Chairman of the Health and Engagement Forum. In 2016, he was awarded by the Community Foundation, the ‘Inspiration Award for Health and Well Being in the Community’ and in 2017, he was awarded the ‘Bringing People Together Award’.

Raj has previous experience serving as a Police Constable for West Midlands Police for 10 years and is currently Vice-Chair for the Confederation of Indians, with experience as an Interpreter for the UK Border Agency with the ability to speak in several languages including Punjabi, Hindi and Urdu.

Raj has been an ambassador for fundraising initiatives and has previously raised £20,000 to aid resources following the natural disaster in Gujarat in 2001 and a further £20,000 for the John Taylor Hospice and Severn Hospice in 2018. During his previous term in Office as Mayor for 2018/2019, Raj identified a gap between the younger and older generation in the local community and created his Building Bridges Appeal which he has continued as the Founder and Patron to deliver and expand within Telford and Wrekin. Through the Appeal, Raj implemented a plaque award scheme to acknowledge when both generations come together and make a pledge to Build Bridges. He also launched a Mayoral Grant Fund as part of this initiative to give back to the wider community, funding grants for the benefit of local voluntary organisations undertaking charitable activity in support of individuals in need but primarily focusing on voluntary groups which support the multi-faith community and broaden diversity.

Raj was appointed the position of Cabinet Member for Communities and Inclusivity for 2019/2020 and later became a Trustee of the Citizen’s Advice Bureau. Raj also joined the Advisory Board for Sikh and Punjabi Studies at Wolverhampton University in January 2019.

The Deputy Mayor

The Mayor will be supported during his year in Office by the Deputy Mayor, Councillor Arnold England who is one of two elected representatives for Brookside ward. 

Serving as a Borough Councillor for 11 years, Arnold has held various roles on the Council, holding the position of Cabinet Member for Leisure and Wellbeing from 2011 - 2013 and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care from 2013 - 2019, and subsequently took on the role as Speaker of the Council for 2020/21. 

Arnold also serves as a parish and town Councillor for Stirchley and Brookside Parish Council and Madeley Town Council. Arnold was appointed as Madeley Town Council's very first Mayor in 2019 following a change of direction from the traditonal chairman title. 

Last updated: 12/08/2022 11:17