The new leader of Southampton City Council has set out her vision for the city – but who is the woman at the helm?

Former deputy leader Lorna Fielker has taken over from Cllr Satvir Kaur who stepped down ahead of the looming general election.

Cllr Fielker has ambitious plans for her tenure – including tackling the council’s abysmal financial affairs and showcasing what Southampton has to offer.

But beyond being leader is ‘just Lorna Fielker’, a woman who found her forever home in Southampton a decade ago.

Who is Lorna Fielker?

Daily Echo:

Lorna was elected ward councillor for Swaythling five years ago, five years after she moved to the city from Exeter with her husband.

A keen campaigner for helping the community, she was encouraged by the Labour party to run for a seat – and was successful.

She said: “The main driver for me doing that is I wanted to help my community, the place I lived in.

“Being a councillor is a really good way to help people.

“I was very fortunate to put myself forward and get elected, and I have been able to represent the residents of Swaythling in that time.

“That's a privilege to do so.”

READ MORE: New council leader in war of words with 'petty' Tory opponent

A champion for adult education, Cllr Fielker told the Echo about her own experience.

"I didn’t attend university until my mid 30s," she said.

"I studied Housing Development and management BA(Hons) at University of West England and a Masters in Social Research Methods at the University of Southampton."

She added: “I left school with two very poor O-Levels and two very poor OSEs.

“I went into workplace after school and I really enjoyed it and had a great time.”

Cllr Fielker started her career as a publican before moving into the world of social housing which is her "real love".

In Southampton she worked in the voluntary sector and is now a PhD student, but enjoys cultural activities outside of work.

She said: “I really love living here, I feel very connected to this city.

“I’m excited to spend more time at the Mayflower and I’m going to the MAST in a few weeks.

“I love going to comedy and we had lots of really good acts come to Southampton.”

What are her priorities?

Unsurprisingly, the local authority’s finances are high on the list.

She said: “I am a resident of Southampton, which means I'm a council taxpayer, so I access and I'm using things that the council delivers.

“I want to make sure that the money that we have is spent well, it is spent in the right places.”

Her pledge comes after CEO of the council Mike Harris stepped down after the authority's financial problems took a "significant toll" on his health.

Cllr Fielker confirmed an interim Chief Executive will come in and pick up where Mr Harris left off.

She said: “We'll be looking for somebody who's got experience with good size cities and understands the things that we're looking to achieve here and can help us with that financial challenge.

“It’s not just about the here and now, it is about the future of Southampton.”

In order to make the "best possible plans", the council’s budget meeting, scheduled for February, could be moved to March.

Cllr Fielker added: “We are looking to move the meeting just to make sure we've given ourselves the best possible time to make sure we've got the best plans that we can in place.”