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Mayor of the Borough

A Mayor and Deputy Mayor of the Borough are elected every May, to represent the Council at civic functions and raise money for local good causes.

The current Mayor is Councillor Richard Payne, and the current Deputy Mayor is Councillor Kuldev Sehra.

The Mayor, Councillor Richard Pyne 

Richard Pyne has served as a Liberal Democrat Councillor for the North Richmond Ward since being first elected in 2018. He lives in East Sheen with his wife Helen, who becomes the Mayoress of the Borough. They have a daughter, Katherine.

Professionally, Richard worked in Human Resources in industry before moving into management consultancy in 1988 when he first moved to the Borough. He was a Partner in a global consulting firm for ten years and conducted many change management projects in Europe, the Middle East and the USA.

As well as serving as Deputy Chairman on the Planning Committee, Richard is a current Trustee of Richmond Charities, the Richmond Parish Lands Charity, as well as acting as a Board member of the Museum of Richmond.

Richard is a long-standing horticultural volunteer at Kew Gardens and regularly opens his garden for charity. His other hobbies include quizzing (he has appeared on several TV quiz programmes), and golf.

He graduated from Oxford University in 1975 with a degree in Modern Languages. He served for 12 years as a Liverpool City Councillor before moving to Richmond.

The Deputy Mayor, Councillor Kuldev Sehra

Kuldev Sehra is a Liberal Democrat Councillor for Whitton. A family man with grown up children, he lives and works locally and is very passionate about doing the best he can for his community. On most days, he is seen helping and engaging with the local shop-owners and businesses on Whitton High Street.

Professionally, Kuldev has worked as a senior Financial Adviser and has over 30 years’ experience, winning multiple awards over the years. Having helped and built long-term relationships with hundreds of clients in South West London, he is well-known in Richmond and surrounding London boroughs.

With his knowledge and understanding of personal finance, business and economics he is a prominent member of two Council committees: Finance and Policy Resources and the Local Government Pensions Committee.

Kuldev is also a trustee at a number of local charities, and is a Governor at Chase Bridge Primary School.  Amongst all that, he also has some hobbies and pastimes. He keenly follows most sports and is especially interested in football, rugby and cricket. Kuldev also has a passion for the arts, opera and classical music.  

The Mayor’s charities

The Mayor's charities for 2024/2025 are:

  • Richmond Borough Mind
  • Home-Start RKH

Charity events

The Mayor holds a number of events to raise funds for his chosen charities.

Competitions

The Mayor regularly runs competitions for residents to enter. Find out more about the Mayor's competitions

Make a donation

You can make a donation to the Mayor's appeal fund.

Make a donation

You can also support the Mayor’s charities by attending one of our Mayor's charity events or entering a competition.

Arrange a visit

If you want the Mayor or the Deputy Mayor to attend your event, you will need to submit a request at least 14 days before the date of the function.

Request a Mayoral visit

Keep up to date

There are a number of ways to find out what the Mayor is doing.

Freedom of the Borough

The Freedom of the Borough is the highest award that we can give and is an honour bestowed on very few people.

Contact

The Mayor's Office
London Borough of Richmond upon Thames
York House
Richmond Road
Twickenham
TW1 3AA

Telephone: 020 8891 7123
Email: mayors.office@richmond.gov.uk

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