The new Mayor of Harrow says he hopes to bring the communities of the borough together during year in office.

Cllr Ajay Maru became the first Gujarati mayor of the borough at a meeting of Harrow Council last week and has already carried out his first mayoral visits.

The 48-year-old said: "I am honoured to take on this role as Mayor and I am committed to supporting our residents and bringing communities together. The wellbeing and welfare of residents is also important to me.

“I want to work with other party members, mayors and councillors so we can work together to strengthen community cohesion and unity.

“I look forward to meeting different communities in Harrow and all the great projects over my Mayoral year.”

Cllr Maru, who moved to the UK in 1999 from Kenya, picked Coram as his chosen charity for his mayoral year.

The charity aims to improve the lives of vulnerable children and young people through adoption.

He said: “I have chosen Coram as my chosen charity because children are just as important as other members of the community.

“Supporting them and seeing what good we can do in helping their wellbeing and welfare is important.”

Cllr Maru married his wife Dina in 1992 and has two children, both at school in Harrow.

Since 1999 he has opened three hair salons in the borough and says he wants to help other businesses in the borough as a way of giving back to the community.