It has been announced that Cllr. Mohammed Munir will take over from former Cllr. Des Wilson as Lord Mayor of Nottingham for the coming year and Cllr. Jeannie Packer will continue in her role as Sheriff of Nottingham. Both Councillors have played an active role in Nottingham’s civic life for several years. Cllr. Packer enters her second year as Sheriff and Cllr. Munir previously served as Lord Mayor of Nottingham during 2005/06.

‘I am thrilled to have been given the chance to serve Nottingham again.’ commented Cllr. Munir. ‘It is such a privilege to act as an ambassador for our city.’

Cllr. Munir was born in Pakistan in 1952. By the age of 19 he had set up a transportation business and later ran his own cinema before moving to England. After arriving in Nottingham in 1975, he worked in various jobs including for a furniture manufacturing company in Colwick and as a Nottingham City Council bus driver. Today he owns a successful business manufacturing quilts and pillows and is heavily involved in local politics and issues.

He has been an active member of the Labour Party since 1982 and during this time acted as Chair for the St Ann’s and Basford Branches of the Party and as Councillor for Byron and Mapperly. He currently serves on the Development Control Committee and the Children and Young Person’s Panel and previously acted as Vice Chair of the Intern Social Services Committee and represented the City Council on First Enterprise.

Cllr. Munir has a keen interest in developing local communities and addressing their concerns. He has served as a Director of JIPAC, is a member of the Pakistan Centre Management Committee and chair of the Pakistan Forum.

His wife Shaheen Munir is the new Lady Mayoress. Shaheen has lived in Nottingham for thirty years and is passionate about community development activities. She currently supports 10 voluntary organisations in the City. Mohammed and Shaheen have two sons, Tanweer and Zaheer and one daughter Henna, aged 20, they also have two grandchildren. The family live in Mapperley.

Sheriff of Nottingham, Cllr. Jeannie Packer is looking forward to a second year in term.

‘The most rewarding part of this position is being able to serve the people of Nottingham’ she explains ‘I am very committed to this city and want to continue to encourage people to visit, invest and make their homes here.’

Cllr. Packer was born in central Nottingham and has supported the Labour Party since 1994. She was elected as Councillor for Bestwood ward in 2003 and has been the Labour group secretary since 2003 and serves on the Licensing Committee, Health Scrutiny Standing Panel, Children and Young People’s Panel, the Local Access Forum and has been Chair of Area Two Committee since 2003. Her husband Norman continues as Sheriff’s Consort. Norman has lived in Nottingham since he was two and volunteers as a tour guide for the Council House.