Crawley Borough Council has elected its first Tamil mayor.
Sharmila Sivarajah received her chains of office at a meeting of the full council on Friday (May 24).
She took over from Jilly Hart, who had served two terms as mayor and will now serve as deputy mayor.
Mrs Sivarajah said she had a ‘heart full of gratitude and humility’, adding: “I’m deeply honoured and humbled by the trust and confidence you have placed in me.”
Her chosen charity for the year will be the Russell Martin Foundation, a Southwick-based charity which ‘works to impact positively upon the lives of children, young people and adults through football, education, health and improvement’.
Mrs Sivarajah has been a councillor since 2022.
She teaches Tamil classic dancing at Hazelwick School and performed in front of the late Queen Elizabeth II and her husband the Duke of Edinburgh.
She was welcomed to her new role by both Labour and Tory councillors.
Bob Lanzer (Con, Pound Hill South & Worth) said: “Your appointment is but one indication of the diversity that we embrace within Crawley.”
Atif Nawaz (Lab, Three Bridges) said her appointment was a momentous occasion for the entire community.
He added: “[Her] appointment is a significant milestone that reflects the rich diversity and inclusiveness of our town.”
The meeting also saw Elijah Norton elected youth mayor and Kai Atkins elected deputy youth mayor.
Congratulating the boys, the new mayor said she looked forward to working with them in the year ahead.
