Councillor Mohan Sokhal today became the first Asian councillor to be elected to the office of Mayor of Kirklees.
Coun Sokhal has been a member of the Council since 1989 and took over as mayor at the annual meeting yesterday.
His election as deputy mayor last year saw him as the first Sikh councillor in West Yorkshire to hold a civic position.
A local magistrate who represents the Paddock ward, Coun Sokhal has been a bus driver for 32 years and works for First Huddersfield. He has four grown-up children. His wife Asha Sokhal will be mayoress.
He has served as a representative on the West Yorkshire Police Authority, and chaired the Spenborough Police Community Forum.
Councillor Sokhal said: "I have the very proud honour of being the first Sikh councillor to be elected to the position of mayor. So it is not only a special day for me, but also for the Sikh and Asian communities in Kirklees and beyond.''
Spen councillor Margaret Bates is deputy mayor.
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