Member to step up as Mayor and focus on volunteering

Councillor David Leeks is more than ready to take over as Mayor for Basingstoke and Deane in a few weeks’ time, after serving as Deputy Mayor for the past 12 months. He is one of the longest standing Councillors and for his term as Mayor he will be prioritising volunteering.

No stranger to public service, the Councillor for Tadley and Pamber has served the ward for nearly 30 years after joining the Council in 1995. He became Mayor in 2011/2012 and after just over ten years decided to get back out into the borough.

Referring to his role as Deputy Mayor Cllr Leeks said: "In the last year, it has been a real honour to have been invited to events and meet residents at local churches, schools, mosques, luncheon clubs and amateur productions. My wife, Amanda and I particularly enjoyed the Platinum Jubilee service at Winchester Cathedral and procession for the Proclamation of the new Sovereign in Basingstoke, which was given by the Mayor last September.

“Next weekend we’ll be going along to many of the Big Lunches being held for the Coronation and encouraging people to mark the occasion by signing up to volunteer in their community.”

Cllr Leeks was born in Basingstoke in 1955 and has lived in Tadley all his life, attending the local school and raising a family. He contracted polio aged six months and made a good recovery, but over the last 15-20 years his late symptoms of polio have worsened. He had to increasingly use mobility aids and today, David is unable to walk and a full-time wheelchair user.

“David is a shining example of someone with a disability who, when reasonable accessible provisions are made, can make a major contribution to the community” commented Kripen Dhrona, Chief Executive of the British Polio Fellowship, a national charity that supports and advises people living with the effects of polio and Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS).

“He has been a massive supporter of the Fellowship for a long time and was a Board member from the mid-1990s until 2011, stepping up as Chairman in 2000. Currently, David is doing an excellent job as Chair of our Berkshire Branch.”

Cllr Leeks is an experienced cribbage player and regularly represents the Southern Region at the British Polio Fellowship’s Indoor Games competition. He won the cribbage finals in 2014.

“The people of Tadley and Pamber are extremely fortunate to have David as their Councillor and I have every confidence that he and Amanda will give their full commitment and energy to their roles, ensuring Cllr Leeks has an impactful term as Mayor for Basingstoke and Deane. We wish him every success.”