The Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich

Born in Stepney, East London, in 1936, Councillor Jim Gillman moved to Royal Greenwich at the tender age of five and was educated in the Royal Borough, attending Calvert Road Primary School in Greenwich before completing his secondary education at Charlton Central Boys' School.

After completing two years National Service in the Royal Corps of Signals serving in Germany, Councillor Gillman became a member of the Labour Party in 1964 and was elected to Greenwich Council in 1974, a role he kept until 2002, before being re-elected in 2010 to represent the Kidbrooke and Hornfair Ward.

In addition to the decades of service in local government, Councillor Gillman enjoyed a long career in the newspaper industry. He worked in the circulation department of several national newspapers, including 29 years spent at the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and The People, before his retirement.

He has also been a School Governor of Charlton Manor School for 41 years, and for ten years at Shooters Hill Post-16 Campus.

The borough became the Royal Borough of Greenwich in February 2012.

Mayor's charity

The Mayor's chosen charity for the coming year is the Greenwich and Bexley Community Hospice.