THE new mayor of Ealing follows in his wife's footsteps eight years after she was declared the first woman of the town.

Cllr Micheal Elliott, 72, has taken over from Cllr Ian Potts as the borough's new mayor during an official ceremony at Ealing Town Hall on Tuesday, but his wife Cllr Julia Clements-Elliott, 65, had the first honour in their family when she became mayor from 1997 to 98.

Cllr Elliott said: "It's an enormous help to me to have a mayoress who has been mayor before and can show me all the ropes.

"We have always worked very closely together in our public roles."

Cllr Elliott, who has held a Labour seat for the Northolt West End ward since 2002, has been in politics most of his adult life and is the only serving present day councillor who served on the inaugural council in 1965.

He said: "I am honoured to be selected by my colleagues as the new mayor of Ealing and I look forward to working with the community to make Ealing an even better place to live.

"The year ahead promises to be a year of great excitement and achievement for Ealing.

"One of my priorities will be to work closely with our local schools to encourage children to learn more about the role and importance of local government.

"I will also be working closely with residential homes and day centres to recognise and celebrate the important role they play in our society."

In his new role as mayor Cllr Elliott will be supporting the Christmas fund and three charities, which are, Ealing Alzheimer's Concern, Young Carers, which supports and assists young people helping to care for disabled, sick or elderly relatives, and Parents of Ealing Self-Help Training Scheme which is a support group for families with children with disabilities and special needs.

Outgoing mayor Cllr Ian Potts will resume his role as ward councillor for Ealing Broadway and thanked everyone for their support. During his term he visited Ealing's Polish twin town, hosted the borough's ruby birthday and raised more than £35,000 for his charities.