Your Mayor

Brentwood Borough Council has elected Councillor Sheila Murphy as the Mayor of Brentwood for 2018/19 to take over the role of ambassador and first citizen for the coming year.

Councillor Murphy replaces Councillor Will Russell who held the role last year.

Her appointment was made at Annual Council on Wednesday night (16 May 2018), where members of the Council were joined in at Brentwood County High School by residents, family members and friends to witness the traditional Mayoral ceremony. Her husband Kevin will accompany her as her Consort.

Councillor Murphy, who is Brentwood’s 27th Mayor, was born in East London. She has lived in the Borough for 33 years.

While growing up, her family ran florist shops in East London before they ran a pub in Herongate. This has been in her family for 40 years, starting with her parents, then run by Sheila and her sister before she ran it on her own. She has now retired from the business and her sons continue to run it.

Sheila met Kevin when they were in school and later married in 1975. They had their sons James in 1976 and John in 1979 and now also have four grandchildren.

Sheila is very involved in her community and has been a trustee of the Herongate and Ingrave Preservation Society for 30 years.

She has been a member of Herongate and Ingrave Parish Council for 14 years and is involved in many community activities locally.

She has always felt part of the community and said she loves where she lives and the people where she lives adding her heart has always been in her village and always will be.

Sheila became a Borough Councillor for the Herongate, Ingrave and West Horndon ward in 2012 and has been part of the Asset and Enterprise Committee and Planning and Licensing Committee.

Her consort will be her husband Kevin.

During her Mayoral year she will be highlighting and fundraising for three charities which reflect areas that are important to her – the community, young people and older members of the community. Her charities are:
West Horndon Village Hall – It is the hub of the local community and where most things happen. They have built it themselves and run it themselves.
The Brentwood and District Scouts and Brentwood Division Girlguiding. Sheila will support the local groups and highlight the good work that they do with local children.
Wendy’s Kitchen – Wendy Thomas was a local special lady who was a member of our church St Nicholas Church and spent many an afternoon in that kitchen prepping tea after church services. She was an unsung hero in Sheila’s local village for all that she did. Wendy’s husband Ray has created this project in her memory – to build a new kitchen to modern standards at the church.
Sheila also intends to work with and alongside Cllr Russell’s new Community Trust Fund of Brentwood on fundraising events this coming year.

Attending Events
To request the Mayor’s attendance at your upcoming function or event, please click on the link below and complete the booking form. Any such applications should be made at least two weeks in advance of the date of the function / event. A member of the Governance and Member Support Team will then contact you in due course regarding your application.
Mayors Online booking Form

Contact Information
Brentwood Borough Council, Town Hall, Ingrave Road, Brentwood, Essex CM15 8AY. Tel: 01277 312741 Email: mayors.secretary@brentwood.gov.uk