Cllr Faruk Choudhury took over from out-going Mayor, Cllr Edna Fergus, at the annual ceremonial event held on Friday 27 May at an Extraordinary Ceremonial Council.
Councillor Choudhury has been a resident of Barking and Dagenham for many years with strong family and community connections in the borough. Serving his community as a Councillor since May 2014 representing Becontree Ward and then re-elected again in 2018 and 2022 representing Longbridge Ward. Since becoming a councillor he has served as Deputy Chair of Assembly, Deputy Chair of the Licensing Committee and a member of the Planning Committee.
Councillor Choudhury is currently self-employed having previously worked for London for Transport. He is a committed trade unionist and as a member of the Unite Union, he represented them as a Branch Chair. He served as a School Governor at St. Vincent Primary School in Becontree Ward for many years; where his main aim was to inspire the students to play an active role in the community and encourage young people to stay active by organising a sports club in Longbridge Ward.
It will be a privilege and an honour to serve my local community as the Mayor for Barking and Dagenham in 2022/2023.
Councillor Choudhury is committed to a safer borough and works very closely with the local police in his role as a Longbridge Ward councillor. During the COVID pandemic, he also supported the local community in various ways, but particularly working with his local food bank at the Hedgecock Centre, with a pledge to carry on supporting local food banks in the borough.
Councillor Choudhury will be raising funds for his chosen charities throughout the year, namely the Disablement Association of Barking and Dagenham (DABD) and the Macmillan Cancer Support Charity. He has nominated Macmillan Cancer Support, as someone who has lost close relatives to cancer, and he personally knows of the fantastic work DABD is doing for the disabled residents of the borough. Councillor Choudhury wishes to bring people with disabilities to the forefront to show that they are respected and valued as active members of our community.
Cllr Faruk Choudhury said of his appointment: “It will be a privilege and an honour to serve my local community as the Mayor for Barking and Dagenham in 2022/2023. I especially look forward to engaging with residents and supporting our more vulnerable members of our community and raising valuable funds for DABD and Macmillan Cancer Support.”
Cllr Choudhury’s Mayoress will be his wife Mrs Parpin Choudhury, along with his niece Cllr Nashitha Choudhury and his consorts will be his son Mr. Afnan Choudhury and his council colleague, Cllr Muhammad Saleem.