THE Mayor and Deputy Mayor are set to serve the borough for a second year due to the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus crisis.

Eastleigh Mayor, Cllr Darshan Mann and Deputy Mayor Cllr Cynthia Garton, will both serve for another year in their respective roles until May 2021 in the light of the ongoing uncertainty over the coronavirus outbreak.

The Council’s Annual General Meeting and Mayor Making ceremony was due to be held in May 2020, where the Mayor and Deputy Mayor for the borough would have been renewed.

However, given the current situation this will now not take place because of the government regulations already in place to remove the requirement for Councils to hold an Annual General Meeting.

This means the current Mayor and Deputy will continue in their positions for another year.

Council Leader Keith House said, “The end of the current Mayoral year and the beginning of the new Mayoral year will both be affected by the coronavirus crisis with many events and activities now not taking place. "This decision allows Darshan to complete his full year as Mayor and also allows Cynthia to experience both the Mayor Making ceremony and to also enjoy her full year as Mayor.”

Darshan Mann is Liberal Democrat councillor representing Eastleigh South, while Cynthia Garton is a Liberal Democrat councillor who represents Hedge End South.