A new civic year has begun in the Royal Borough of Greenwich with Councillor David Gardner inaugurated as the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich for 2026 to 2027.
Councillor Gardner has been a resident of Charlton for more than three decades, serving his fifth term as a councillor, representing his home Charlton Village and Riverside.
Throughout his time in local government, he has held several positions including Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member across Health and Adult Social Care, Children’s Service and more. He has also chaired several committees and panels, making improvements to highways and sitting on both Audit and Risk Management and Scrutiny panels.
Outside of his work within the council, Councillor Gardner has been actively involved with community organisations, charities and school governance. He has championed the London Living Wage and helped the borough achieve Borough of Sanctuary status.
Councillor Gardner said: “It is a tremendous honour to serve as the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Having lived in Charlton for over 30 years, I have seen firsthand the strength of our communities.
“During my mayoral year, I want to celebrate this strength and the incredible contribution our volunteers, environmental champions and community groups who work tirelessly to improve our borough and support our residents make.
“I look forward to meeting residents, businesses, schools and those in the voluntary sector over the next year alongside my wife Alison Chubb who will be Mayoress, and with the support of Deputy Mayor, Councillor Raja Zeeshan.”
Councillor Gardner has selected two charities for mayoral fundraising activities:
- Woolwich Service Users Project (WSUP), which supports the homeless and people experiencing loneliness by providing a warm welcome, meal, advice and other vital services.
- South London Special League, which supports young people with learning disabilities organising football and tennis, but specifically to raise money for new chairs to play PowerChair Football, which is now at our state-of-the-art leisure Woolwich Waves, open to those with learning and physical disabilities.
Deputy Mayor for 2026 to 2027 will be Councillor Raja Zeeshan, Ward Councillor for Woolwich Dockyard, who has served the borough since 2024, working directly with communities to ensure they stay connected.