Exeter Lord Mayor to continue in post until December
Published: 1 May 2020
Exeter’s Lord Mayor Cllr Peter Holland is to remain in office until December.
His term of office was due to end this month but has been extended due to the Coronavirus outbreak. His chosen charity, Exeter CITY Community Trust will carry on being supported by the Lord Mayor until his term ends. The Lord Mayor will also continue to work with his current Chaplain, Reverend Jonny Elvin.
The decision was made at a recent ‘virtual’ meeting of Exeter City Council. Normally the Council appoints a new Lord Mayor and Deputy – along with committee chairs – at its Annual Meeting in May.
At the recent meeting – held using modern technology with councillors taking part from their own homes – it was agreed to postpone the Annual Meeting
until at least December 2020.
The Lord Mayor, Cllr Holland, said: ''I am pleased to have been asked to extend my term of office as Lord Mayor of Exeter for a further six months. It is sad that I have not been able to attend any civic engagements since 'lock down' which is disappointing and frustrating.
“Equally it is regrettable that I have been unable to host functions to promote our iconic city which is a key element of the role of Lord Mayor. That said, I look forward to the day when we may return to some form of normality and that the Mayoralty will play its part in ensuring that Exeter is at the forefront of exciting initiatives supporting its residents and businesses who may then enjoy unbridled happiness and success into the future.
“I would also like to add that the Lord Mayor’s Charity will remain as the Exeter CITY Community Trust for the duration. I am delighted and proud that my chosen charity has and continues to support the most vulnerable in our community, even in these troubled times, providing a safety net for people of all ages, focusing on health and wellbeing.
“I also look forward the day when the world is rid of the infernal Corvid 19 virus and we may return to living our lives as we would wish. In the meantime I ask everyone to follow government advice so that we may manage and defeat a pandemic which has come to blight our lives. Stay well and stay safe!''
Jamie Vittles, Chief Executive of CITY Community Trust, said: “It has been a real honour to have been the Lord Mayor's charity over the last year. We've been very grateful to the fundraising activities and the opportunities this has brought to the charity. We've made lots of new friends through the monthly coffee mornings at the Guildhall and we're looking forward to continue working together when we are able to.”
CITY Community Trust has also been hugely impacted by coronavirus and has had to stop the delivery of the majority of its programmes. It now has a team based at St James Park, who are working in partnership with Exeter City Council on its Exeter Community Wellbeing initiative, delivering vital supplies to vulnerable and isolated people across the Exeter area.