Former magician's assistant is Exeter's lord mayor

But she is also a barrister and OBE

A councillor whose CV includes roles as a ballet teacher and a magician’s assistant has pledged to highlight the magic of Exeter in her year as lord mayor.

The city’s top job for the coming year belongs to Cllr Anne Jobson, and the Conservative member for St Loye’s said taking on the role is ‘the greatest privilege’.

She took office during a formal ceremony in the city’s fifteenth century Guildhall. Cllr Jobson, who was awarded an OBE in 1992 for political and public service, is a barrister specialising in family law.

She has been active in welcoming families from Ukraine to Exeter and has chosen the local branch of Riding For The Disabled as her charity for the year. She has a springer spaniel called Disraeli in honour of the nineteenth century Conservative prime minister.

“I will do my utmost during the next 12 months to be deserving of the trust you have placed in me,” she told fellow councillors.

“Exeter is a diverse city, and I am looking forward to meeting as many of the people as I can who make it so.”

Deputy lord mayor for the coming year will be Topsham Labour councillor Gemma Rolstone, who said: “This is a beautiful, vibrant and remarkable city, and it is a privilege to be part of its story.”

Cllr Kevin Mitchell (Lib Dem, Duryard and St James) said being lord mayor for the past two years had been his ‘greatest honour’.

He paid tribute to the role played by his husband and consort Ian, and said Exeter was proud to be inclusive, tolerant and diverse.

“Exeter will always choose the politics of love over hate,” he said. “It has many great traditions, and one of those is that it is, and will always be, a welcoming city.

“It has been my greatest honour to serve as lord mayor of this wonderful city.

“In the words of Frank Sinatra, I did it my way.”