Councillor Mike Rouse is the new Mayor of Ely

Cllr Mike Rouse is new Mayor of Ely alongside his younger daughter, Cassie, as Mayoress (Image: Archant)

Outgoing mayor Councillor Richard Hobbs proudly handed over the chain of office to his successor Councillor Mike Rouse at the ceremony attended by councillors, members of the public and other dignitaries.

Mayor Rouse’s younger daughter, Cassie, was appointed as Mayoress.

In a poignant speech, Mayor Rouse addressed the crowd on the changing times in Ely and his aspirations for the future.

He said: “I am honoured and humbled to accept, mindful of the responsibilities of the position in not only leading the City Council but representing Ely further afield.

Cllr Mike Rouse is new Mayor of Ely alongside his younger daughter, Cassie, as Mayoress (Image: Archant)

“Ely has grown. Then the population is around 18,000 and continuing to grow.

“I believe that parish councils are the bedrock of a truly local government.

“Parish councils do not have a lot of power in the present complexities of local government which is why the City has taken back control of Ely Museum, the Maltings and now Oliver Cromwell House and the tourism and town centre service, to take decisions about Ely into our own hands as far as we can.

“It is all too easy to see only problems, things that need fixing, things that are not ideal, but I am a ‘possibilist’ believing that we can make Ely an even better place in which to live.

Cllr Mike Rouse is new Mayor of Ely alongside his younger daughter, Cassie, as Mayoress (Image: Archant)

“That is why I became a councillor so many years ago, that is the reason all my colleagues here are councillors – to improve our city and parish.

“That is what the Mayoress and I particularly want to celebrate this year. Invite us to your events, your clubs and your activities. If you think we can help you in anyway – get in touch.

“The Mayor usually nominates a charity, or charities. Cassie and I would like to do things a little differently. This is a big year for the Royal British Legion and the Royal Air Force.

“My father was proud of his wartime service in the RAF and being a member of the Royal British Legion and we will be supporting both the British Legion and the Royal Air Force Association throughout the year, but we also want to put on events and support events for other charities and organisations.

Cllr Mike Rouse is new Mayor of Ely alongside his younger daughter, Cassie, as Mayoress (Image: Archant)

“If we connect and work together we build an even stronger community and even finer city.”

As a contribution to the outgoing mayor’s campaign to make Ely Dementia Aware, it was also announced that there will be a performance of Holding Hands by the Field Theatre group at Ely Museum on July 14.