Newcastle has a new first citizen, after the first non-white lord mayor in the city’s history handed over his chains.
Karen Robinson was appointed to Newcastle’s highest ceremonial position on Wednesday afternoon, as Habib Rahman’s term in office came to an end. The Wallsend-born mum-of-one said it was a “huge privilege and responsibility” to serve as lord mayor and pledged to use her role to celebrate all that was great about Tyneside after a devastating couple of years during the Covid pandemic, with a particular focus on food and the arts.
But the Liberal Democrat councillor, who was first elected to the city council in 2004, said her elevation to lord mayor was “bittersweet” as the title had instead been due to pass to her friend Anita Lower, the highly-respected former opposition leader who died last year. Coun Robinson, who represents the Dene and South Gosforth ward, added: “I take office when our city is facing real changes. Life has returned but it is still not clear what the new normal will be.
