Councillor follows three 17th century ancestors by becoming Mayor of Northampton – but with a modern twist due to coronavirus

Councillor Brian Sargeant was officially handed the chain this morning (May 21) during Northampton Borough Council’s virtual annual council meeting, becoming the town’s 780th Mayor after taking over from the outgoing Councillor Nazim Choudary.

Adorned in the new robes, and with his wife Ray Kelly becoming Mayoress, Councillor Sargeant becomes the fourth member of his family to become the Mayor of Northampton, after his ancestors Roger Sargeant (1625), Joseph Sargeant (1644, 1656 and 1671) and Thomas Sargeant (1683).

He is the first in modern history, however, not have an official Mayor Making ceremony at The Guildhall, with social distancing guidelines due to coronavirus preventing mass gatherings. Instead, he undertook the oath in a Zoom web meeting that was broadcast on YouTube.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I was the first virtual Mayor, and I will probably be the last! It may have been virtual but I loved it. I think it went well considering I’m a bit of a dinosaur and I’m not used to these sort of things.”

Councillor Sargeant will have to give up his role as chairman of the council’s licensing committee during his spell as mayor and says he will begin his new role tonight by taking his Government allocated exercise with a walk in his full Mayoral robes down the street of his West Hunsbury home at 9pm.

Having served as the ward councillor for Upton since 2011, Councillor Sargeant has also nominated The Lowdown, which provides free and confidential counselling, emotional wellbeing, sexual health and LGBTQ support services for 11-25 year olds, as his charity of the year.

Thanks were also passed to the outgoing Councillor Choudary, while Labour councillor Rufia Ashraf was confirmed as the deputy Mayor, meaning she will take over the role in 12 months’ time.