Abigail Marshall-Katung 'honoured and humbled' to become Leeds' first African Lord Mayor

The 48-year-old said she was “deeply honoured and humbled” to accept the top job, which comes after five years of service at Leeds City Council.

She will make history when she dons the ceremonial chain in May, after being unanimously chosen by colleagues for the role.

Coun Marshall-Katung was born in Nigeria and moved to Leeds to study politics in 2000.

It was then that she discovered her love of the city, which inspired a move into local government.

She vowed to “continue the fight for equality and social justice” as Lord Mayor, which she started when she was elected to represent the Little London and Woodhouse ward in 2019.

"I’m still in awe,” she told the Yorkshire Evening Post. “I was really thrilled that it was a unanimous decision.”

The mum-of-two joked that her 19-year-old twin sons have already started calling her “Lord Mother”.

Her husband Sunday Marshall-Katung is also a politician, serving as a senator in Nigeria.

Coun Marshall-Katung will take over from Coun Al Garthwaite, the Labour councillor for Headingley and Hyde Park ward, who was elected the Lord Mayor of Leeds last year.

She follows in the footsteps of Coun Eileen Taylor, who became the first black woman to hold the Lord Mayor title in 2019.

Coun Marshall-Katung spoke about the significance of being the city’s first Lord Mayor of African descent.

“Sometimes you do these things and you don’t even know you’re the first person to do it,” she said. “But at the end of the day, representation matters. You always want to be round the table where the decisions are being made. I want to make the community’s voice heard.”