THE borough has a new mayor.

Brian Beckwith, 70, councillor for Blackfen and Lamorbey since 2002, was elected at last week's annual council meeting.

His wife Aileen, also a councillor in Sidcup ward, will be mayoress.

It will be a reversal of roles for the couple as in 2001/02, Mrs Beckwith was mayor and he was her escort.

A former pupil at Hurst Primary School, Blackfen Boys' School and Hurstmere School, Cllr Beckwith became an apprentice instrument maker and after several jobs, joined London Underground.

He was a track maintenance manager for the Metropolitan Line and retired in 2001.

And he says he is looking forward to "a splendid year".

Councillor Colin Tandy will be deputy mayor and his wife Valerie is deputy mayoress.

The retiring mayor, Labour's John Shepheard, who lost his seat in the recent borough elections, says his mayoral year had been "a great adventure" and for a year he had been "the first citizen of the best borough in the best city in the world".