A former MP for South Ribble has taken up the role of Mayor of Preston.

Councillor David Burrow was elected as councillor for Lea and Larches in May.

He was presented with the chains by the outgoing Mayor Trevor Hart, who lost his seat for the Conservatives in the local elections.

Borrow was MP for South Ribble between 1997 and 2010.

He was formally made Mayor during the Mayor Making ceremony at the Town Hall on Wednesday 15 May.

The tradition of the city having a Mayor dates back to 1179.

They act as the first citizen of the city, attending events and speaking on behalf of Preston.

A dedicated Preston Mayor Facebook page and Twitter account have been set up to follow the Mayor’s activities.

Read more: What we learned during the Preston local elections in 2019

About councillor David Borrow

He was born in Huddersfield and attended Mirfield Grammar School where he was head boy.

Borrow graduated with an honours degree in economics from Lancaster Polytechnic (which became Coventry University).

He moved to Preston in 1975 where he joined the Lancashire Valuation Tribunal. He then worked for the Manchester Tribunal before taking charge of the Merseyside Tribunal in 1983.

Mayor Borrow has been active in politics since he was 16 and was first elected to what was then Preston Borough Council in 1987 representing Moorbrook.

He served on the committee for equal opportunities, highways and finance as well as twicce leading the council.

In 1997 he stepped down as a coucillor after becoming the MP for South Ribble, representing Labour.

After leaving Parliament in 2010 he was re-elected to the city council in 2011 and from 2013 to 2017 he was also a county councillor serving as deputy leader of the county council.

Borrow is married to his long-term partner John and was the first MP to enter into a civil partnership.

He has selected four charities to support during his Mayoral year, these being Rosemere, Emmaus, Dig In and Friends of Mulange Orphans.

Read more: See the latest news about Preston City Council