The Lord Mayor of Westminster – Councillor Susie Burbridge was elected to Westminster City Council in May 1998 and represents the Lancaster Gate Ward.
Born in Sheffield, Yorkshire, Susie studied and worked in the travel industry. She moved to London in 1970 leaving behind four sisters and two brothers. Married and divorced with two grown-up children – James and Charlotte, whom she has chosen as her joint Consorts for the year – she took an interest in her husband’s retail business and restaurant as well as spending a period teaching children tennis. She worked in Parliament for many years and during this period started a cross party initiative getting more women into Politics. She organised the first plaque dedicated to a woman in the House of Commons, to Marjorie Hume, a suffragette in the long battle to get women the vote.
Councillor Burbridge has served on a diverse number of Committees, Boards and Panels, as Chairman of Leisure and Community Services and in several Deputy Cabinet Member positions and as a school governor. Her recent roles have included Deputy Cabinet Member for Housing, Member of the Board of CityWest Homes, Member of the Adoption Panel, Member of the Built Environment, and the City Management Committees and a member of a planning committee. She was also as a Member of Pan London Health for Trauma and Stroke and of the Patient and Public Involvement Forum for St Mary’s Hospital. Her political role and community work takes up most of her time.
Amongst those things Susie cares about and enjoys are family; fairness; justice; quality of life; putting the Great back into Britain; opportunities for all young people; animal welfare; sports; women’s issues; and travelling – especially to Africa. She would love to find time to play bridge and learn another language. Susie also welcomes ‘a challenge’.
Summary points on her talk:
The Lord Mayor was involved politically working for Teresa Gorman MP and learnt about being controversial; she feels everybody should give their opinions as to what they think is right. She worked in parliament for eight years.
She is particularly keen on promoting women’s issues around the world and involving women with leadership roles.
The Commonwealth is admirable, with its good pillars as foundation: of trust and agreement between countries, human rights concerns addressed, good governance, world peace, egalitarianism and free trade. However, she quoted the Dalai Lama: “There’s much in the window but nothing behind” and more had to be done. Particularly giving opportunities for young people: children are deprived of good parenting all too often, they should be taught to respect older people.
She is of the view that Africa needs trade (not aid); it is easier for a Department to write a cheque than do something constructive.
On the EU she felt many rules were broken and said it would be disastrous if the Euro failed.
She ended with a rallying cry to women: “Do not be dormant, there is a lot you can do! So battle through and get it sorted.”