Manjula Sood, who has been a teacher and councilor for several decades, will now hold the office of Lord Mayor of Leicester City for one year. Till now she was the High Bailiff of Leicester. She is the first Asian woman to have taken the post of Lord Mayor. Each year, the longest serving city councilor is offered this role. However, the councillor may defer it and if so, then it is offered to the next in line and the process moves on.

 

Any member of the public who becomes the councillor may also become the Lord Mayor if the person is re-elected enough number of times. A Lord Mayor has a high profile and an very important role in maintaining and promoting the interests of the city and its people. This year is the 800th anniversary of the Lord Mayor's office in Leicester.

 

She will be the fifth Lord Mayor of Asian origin in Leicester, which has a huge number of population who are from India. She will be the first ever Asian woman Lord Mayor in Britain. Previous Indian-origin Lord Mayors of Leicester were Piara Singh Clair (2004), Ramnik Kavia (2003), Culdipp Bhatti (1996) and Gordhan Parmar (1987).

 

Speaking to the reporters, she expressed her gratitude and said it was an honor for her to be selected for this position, and would do her best to serve the city. She came to the UK in 1970 and since then has been a teacher. In every role, she had always taught people the value and respect and understanding towards their fellow human beings.

 

In 2004, Sood was given the Labour Party Merit Award for her contribution to the party. She has won many awards as a councillor and has worked with all the leading ministers and politicians as a Labour MP. She has two sons, and is actively involved in projects that range from the Asian to Afro-Caribbean communities. Before coming to Britain, she studied at the Jain High School, Ludhiana and Government College, Ludhiana. She later studied for a teaching qualification at the University in Leicester, in Britain.