NEW MAYOR TAKES THE CHAIN: Paul Tansom Vows to Champion Havant's Unsung Heroes

Havant has a new first citizen — and the chain of office has been handed over with a promise to put the borough's volunteers, charities and community heroes in the spotlight.

Councillor Paul Tansom, the borough councillor for Purbrook ward, was sworn in as the 53rd Mayor of Havant at the council's Annual Meeting on Wednesday, May 20. He will serve for the 2026-27 mayoral year, supported by Mrs Dawn Tansom as Mayoress.

It is the sort of civic ceremony that can sound dusty from a distance: robes, formal words, handshakes and committee-room protocol. But behind the tradition is a very practical local job. The Mayor becomes the public face of the borough, turning up at the openings, fundraisers, remembrance events, school visits, charity days and community gatherings that rarely make national headlines but keep Havant, Leigh Park, Emsworth, Bedhampton, Purbrook, Waterlooville and Hayling Island stitched together.

And Cllr Tansom has made clear what he wants his year to be about: showing off the people who do the hard yards.

## 'I am honoured'

Speaking during the ceremony, the new Mayor said: "I am honoured to have the opportunity to serve as the 53rd Mayor of Havant."

He said that during his time as Mayor he wanted to "show case as much of the great work that is being done across the borough" as possible, and to recognise the dedicated volunteers who make the area "such a wonderful place to live".

That line will land with many local groups who know exactly how much unpaid effort sits behind the borough's everyday life. Food projects, sports clubs, youth schemes, veterans' events, sailing groups, carers, dementia support, litter-pickers, church halls, scouts, guides, community kitchens and tiny fundraising committees all depend on people giving evenings, weekends and patience they could easily spend elsewhere.

The mayoral year gives those groups a useful megaphone. A visit from the Mayor will not solve every funding headache, but it can bring attention, photographs, social media reach and a sense that local effort has been properly noticed.

## Two charities chosen

Cllr Tansom's chosen charities for the year ahead are Dementia Friendly Havant Borough and Havant Youth Sail Training Scheme.

It is a pairing that says something about the breadth of the role. One charity speaks to older residents, families, carers and the growing challenge of helping people live well with dementia. The other looks outwards to young people, confidence, water skills and opportunity on a coast where the sea is part of local identity.

Dementia Friendly Havant Borough works around one of the issues that more and more households quietly face. Dementia is not only a health condition; it changes routines, relationships, shopping trips, high street visits and the way families use local services. Support and awareness can make the difference between isolation and a community that knows how to respond.

Havant Youth Sail Training Scheme sits at the other end of the life course, giving young people a chance to build skills, discipline and confidence through sailing. In a borough with Emsworth, Langstone Harbour, Hayling Island and the wider Solent on the doorstep, helping young people connect with the water is more than a hobby. It can shape ambition.

Expect both causes to appear repeatedly across the Mayor's diary as the year unfolds.

## A borough role, not just a town title

The Mayor of Havant is not just Havant town's ceremonial figure. The role covers the whole borough, which matters because the area is a patchwork of very different places.

Leigh Park has different pressures and strengths from Emsworth. Purbrook is not Hayling Island. Bedhampton, Waterlooville and Havant town centre all have their own local arguments, traditions and community networks. The Mayor's job is to turn up across all of it, not just where the spotlight is easiest.

That is why the promise to recognise volunteers is important. The borough's community life is not concentrated in one civic building. It is spread through lunch clubs, sports pitches, small halls, churches, schools, shoreline groups, market stalls, youth projects and support services.

Cllr Tansom said he was looking forward to meeting the borough's "incredible and inspirational residents and organisations" at the many events he will attend during his mayoral year. If that diary is anything like previous years, it will be packed.

## Farewell to Munazza Faiz's mayoral year

The handover also brings the end of the mayoral year for Councillor Munazza Faiz, who used her farewell remarks to reflect on a busy 12 months representing Havant.

Cllr Faiz said she had met "wonderful people" and had "incredible experiences" while serving the borough. Among the events she highlighted were the opening of the Recovery Hub in Havant, visiting her mayoral charity Off the Record, unveiling the Comserv Community Kitchen in Havant, and attending Armed Forces Flag Raising Day.

She thanked everyone who raised money or donated to her chosen charities, Off the Record and Stop Domestic Abuse, and wished Cllr Tansom all the best for the year ahead.

That outgoing list is a reminder that the mayoralty is often where the borough's difficult stories and hopeful stories meet. Mental health support, domestic abuse services, recovery work, community kitchens and armed forces recognition are not ceremonial issues. They are real local lives.

## Deputy Mayor appointed

Councillor Mark Coates has been appointed as Deputy Mayor.

The Deputy Mayor's role is partly practical — stepping in when the Mayor cannot attend — but it also helps keep the civic calendar moving when invitations stack up. With hundreds of events expected across the year, the borough's ceremonial diary is more demanding than it looks.

For residents, the new mayoral year is unlikely to change bin collections, planning rows or the big council arguments that dominate local politics. That is not what the role is for.

But it can change who gets seen.

If Cllr Tansom follows through on his pledge, the next 12 months should bring a steady stream of attention to the volunteers and local organisations that usually operate just below the noise. In a borough where many groups are wrestling with costs, recruitment, demand and burnout, that visibility matters.

So the chain has changed hands, the charities have been named, and the diary is about to fill up. Havant's new Mayor now has a year to prove that civic tradition can still do something useful: shine a light on the people keeping the borough going.