Cllr Diane White has been named the 189th mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston.

The mother of two was appointed at the authority's Annual Council meeting on Tuesday (May 16) and replaced Cllr Yogan Yoganathan. Councillor Richard Thorpe will serve as Deputy Mayor.

A Surbiton resident for over 25 years, Cllr White has served residents of St Mark's and Seething Wells since 2014 and during the 2018 - 2022 administration, took up the role of lead member for Children's Service and Education. Last month brought a 14-year end to her time at local charity Kingston Carers Network, which provides information, advice, advocacy and support to people who care for someone living within the borough.

As is customary, Kingston's new Mayor has chosen two local organisations to champion during her time in office. The first being the Kingston Charitable Foundation, which supports local charities and volunteer organisations that address inequalities across the borough.

Cllr White also chose Voices of Hope, which dedicates its operations to rebuilding hope in those who have faced severe adversity, focusing on improving physical and mental health through community-based projects.

Kingston's local authority also approved the appointments of the administration's new portfolio holders:

• Leader and Portfolio Holder for Finance - Councillor Andreas Kirsch
• Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Development and Leisure - Councillor Alison Holt 
• Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Public Health - Councillor Sabah Hamed
• Portfolio Holder for Children's Services including Education - Councillor Steph Archer 
• Portfolio Holder for Housing - Councillor Emily Davey 
• Portfolio Holder for Climate Action and Sustainable Transport - Councillor Ian Manders
• Portfolio Holder for Assets, Commissioning and Waste - Councillor Noel Hadjimichael
• Portfolio Holder for Planning Policy and Regulatory Services - Councillor Roger Hayes 
• Portfolio Holder for Culture, Heritage and Governance - Councillor Afy Afilaka 

A full list of the Kingston committee can be accessed here.