Caretaker turned councillor Dennis Meredith appointed as Northampton’s 782nd Mayor

Northampton Town Council, in their second ever annual council meeting, has named the town’s 782nd Mayor.

The Mayor Making Ceremony took place on Monday, May 16 and it was announced that Councillor Dennis Meredith will assume the title of Town Mayor, taking over from Councillor Rufia Ashraf.

Councillor Meredith’s wife, Rona Meredith, was appointed as Mayoress, councillor Steven Hibbert assumed the role of Deputy Mayor and Elizabeth Cox took on Deputy Mayoress.

Mayor Dennis Meredith said: “I feel very honoured and humbled and very pleased my colleagues on the town council had the confidence in voting for me as town mayor and I am reaching out to a lot of community groups that I want to help.”

Words of gratitude were extended to former mayor, Councillor Rufia Ashraf for an “outstanding” year that included 300 engagements during her first term as the first Northampton Town Council Mayor and raising more than £5,000 for her chosen charity, Northamptonshire Domestic Abuse Service.

Councillor Meredith, who worked closely with former mayor Councillor Ashraf as deputy mayor, said: “I have got nothing but praise for her because she was absolutely a first class mayor and she had lots and lots of mayoral engagement and reached out to lots of different communities. I am so impressed she carried out her duties excellently.”

In his new role as mayor, Councillor Meredith is looking forward to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Northampton and is additionally looking to organise a memorial service at All Saints Church to remember those who died during the coronavirus pandemic.

Councillor Meredith has plans to open up the Mayor’s parlour three times a month to invite people from the community to come and have tea with him in an effort to find out what problems they face and how he can help them to tackle those issues.

He told the Chronicle & Echo that the first invitations will be extended to headteachers of schools in his area.

Dennis Meredith was born in Islington and moved to Northampton in 1972, where he has been “proud” to call home ever since.

Himself and his Mayoress, Rona, celebrated their golden wedding anniversary last year. Throughout the 50 years they have shared, they have enjoyed two children and now, five grandchildren.

Councillor Meredith formerly worked as a caretaker for Lings Primary School for 32 years before retiring in 2007. He became a councillor for both Northampton Borough and the County Council two years later.

During his political career, Councillor Meredith has set up youth clubs and residents associations across Northampton. He currently serves on West Northamptonshire Council for the Liberal Democrats, where he was previously the deputy leader and represented the party in Northampton Town Council.

Councillor Meredith is an avid gardener with a passion for his allotment – he campaigned tirelessly in his ward for allotment space and says he is always keen to support those with green fingers.

The Mayor’s chosen charities are St Vincent De Paul and Army Benevolent Fund - the Soldiers Charity. Both charities work to tackle loneliness and support veterans and serving military personnel.

For more information or to book councillor Meredith for an engagement, contact [email protected] or visit https://www.northamptontowncouncil.gov.uk/.