The Civic Mayor of Croydon

The council elected Councillor Kola Agboola to serve as Civic Mayor of Croydon for 2024-2025. The Deputy Civic Mayor is Councillor Richard Chatterjee.

Civic Mayor, Councillor Kola Agboola

"It is a personal achievement and a great honour for me to become the First Citizen and the Civic Mayor of Croydon, making me the first African and fourth Black person in the history of Croydon mayoralty. I am immensely proud of Croydon and very much look forward to my year in office.

Croydon has become our home since I migrated from Nigeria in search of a better life close to 20 years now. My passion for community values, representation and standing up for others made me enter active politics about 4 years ago having been a Trade Unionist of over 30 years. I was delighted to be elected as a councillor in the 2021 New Addington byelection. I was re-elected in May 2022. This is a great honour, responsibility which I am proud of and take seriously.

I promise to be an effective Civic Mayor representing everyone in Croydon and showcasing the rich diversity of our borough in my duties as First Citizen at civic, constitutional, ceremonial and social engagements throughout my tenure.

My beautiful wife and soul mate, Helen who has been supporting me in 30 years of marriage will be the Civic Mayoress throughout my term in office. She will be supported by 2 of our daughters, Dr. Bernadette Agboola and Miss Debra Agboola as Consort 2 and 3 respectively when she is unavoidably absent.

We are both excited and looking forward to attending the numerous community engagements and of course meeting lots of residents from across the whole Borough.

I am looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead and will work hard to raise awareness and support for my chosen charities."

Deputy Civic Mayor, Councillor Richard Chatterjee

"It is a great honour for me to serve as Deputy Civic Mayor – a role of public service to our very diverse borough.

Both my parents came to London to study in the 1940s, I was the youngest of 3 children. I have lived in Croydon since the age of 3 and attended All Saints’ Infants and Primary Schools in Upper Norwood and was in the penultimate intake of Selhurst Grammar School before studying pharmacy. I worked as an NHS hospital pharmacist for 16 years then for the civil service for 23 years. I have been a public sector trade union activist since 1990. 

I have continued to be an active member of Woodside Baptist Church since the age of 16 and have served more than one term as Church Secretary and was a founding trustee of Woodside Bereavement Service, serving as trustee for 20 years. 

I have been a councillor since 2002 and have had various council roles including the RE committee SACRE, the Fairtrade committee, Autism Partnership Board and the Scrutiny and Overview Committee. 

My wife Angela will be the Deputy Civic Mayoress and will support me through-out this term in office. I am a firm believer in family and community values.

I have heard that each Civic Mayor and Deputy Civic Mayor has discovered new people and new things about Croydon during their respective years as well as service in these capacities, and, with Executive Mayor Jason Perry and Civic Mayor Cllr Kola Agboola, I am looking forward to this also being case this year. "