Tadley councillor elected as Basingstoke and Deane mayor for second time
A Tadley councillor who has been representing the area for nearly 30 years has been elected as mayor of Basingstoke and Deane for the second time.
David Leeks has served as a borough councillor since 1995, firstly representing Tadley South and then more recently Tadley and Pamber after the boundary changes in 2021, and he was previously mayor in 2011/12.
He will represent the borough at events throughout the year supported by the mayoress, his wife Amanda, whom he has been married to for 38 years.
Mr Leeks said: “I join a small but wonderful band of people who have had the great honour of serving Basingstoke and Deane as mayor twice, and it is just as much a privilege today as it was in 2011.
“To be elected as the 72nd mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, the 45th mayor since the establishment of our borough, is very special and I am looking forward to meeting as many people of all ages and backgrounds in as many places around the borough as I can.”
The new mayor was born in Basingstoke in 1955 and went to school in Tadley. When he was a child he contracted polio which left him with no muscle in his left leg and weakness in his left hip.
Mr Leeks worked initially within the grocery business before joining the civil service and finally becoming a stay-at-home parent when his wife gave birth to their first son Simon in 1987, and their second Graham in 1989.
Mrs Leeks continued her career as a community midwife working at the Royal Berkshire Hospital. She retired in 2016 after almost 40 years of service within the NHS.
The new mayor got involved in local politics in the early 90s when he was elected to Tadley Town Council, of which he was chairman for a time.
He has announced that his focus for the year will be community volunteering.
He said: “As the first citizen of the borough, I am glad to be picking up His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation theme of the importance of volunteering for my year in office.
“I believe that volunteering helps people to appreciate the challenges faced by others and encourages empathy and understanding of each other, leading to closer and happier communities.”
Mr and Mrs Leeks, who met as volunteers for the Samaritans, have a long history of volunteering and have seen first-hand the benefits it can bring to the individual, the charity and the community, particularly those who need extra support.
The mayor’s charity appeal for the year will be supporting local good causes that are close to his heart — Shopmobility Basingstoke, which supports people with restricted mobility, Citizens Advice Basingstoke and Citizens Advice Tadley.
The Deputy Mayor for Basingstoke and Deane during 2023/24 is Dan Putty and his consort is Marie-Noelle Marion-Stephen.
