New Mayor of Gosport advised '˜learn to dab'

At the annual mayor-making ceremony, Cllr Linda Batty was elected by the rest of Gosport Borough Council as the new mayor, replacing Cllr Lynn Hook.

Cllr Graham Burgess led the motion to appoint Cllr Batty, which was seconded by Cllr Diane Furlong, to unanimous agreement.

Cllr Batty is a Conservative and was once a member of the Girls’ Brigade.

A mother-of-two, she has been serving as deputy mayor over the past 12 months.

Cllr Furlong said: ‘She is always so friendly; we don’t always agree on our ideas, but we do agree on doing what is best for Gosport.’

Cllr Batty then read and signed the declaration of acceptance and thanked Gosport Borough Council for her election.

Cllr Peter Edgar led a motion of thanks to the outgoing mayor Cllr Hook, as well as her daughter Natasha, who served as her escort.

He said: ‘This has been an exceptional year in the life of the town.

‘She treated everybody exactly the same and left a warm feeling wherever she went.’

Cllr Hook had a few words of advice for the new mayor.

She said: ‘My time as ,ayor has been a special experience.

‘My advice to Linda would be this – wear comfortable shoes and learn how to dab.’

The ‘dab’ is a dance move that has been taking the internet by storm over the past year.

After a short demonstration by Cllr Hook, Cllr Batty took centre stage to outline her plans and chosen charities.

She said: ‘I have chosen two charities to support – Crohn’s & Colitis and Headway. I know three people in their early 20s who were diagnosed with Crohn’s. They don’t get help.’

She added: ‘It was great to learn from the outgoing mayor. I’m thrilled to be taking over.’

The Citizen and Youth Citizen of the Year awards were also presented at the ceremony, going to John Jeffs and Ronnie Anson Hazlie respectively. Ronnie has been collecting tins and other supplies for local foodbanks, whilst John has been working tirelessly with the group Loud & Proud.