Barnet’s new mayor is pledging to raise funds for the hospital’s heart department

Barnet’s new mayor has pledged to raise money for cardiac equipment at the borough’s hospital.

Barnet’s 60th Mayor, Cllr Tony Vourou, was officially sworn in during the council’s annual meeting on Tuesday 21 May at Hendon Town Hall.

One of his main priorities during his term as Mayor will be to raise funds for cardiac equipment at Barnet General Hospital.

He also said his chosen charities to support during his term would be Macmillan Cancer Support and Age UK Barnet.

Cllr Vourou takes over from former Borough Mayor Cllr Nagus Narenthira and will take over as Mayor with his wife Mrs Caroline Vourou as Mayoress.

At the same meeting, Cllr Danny Rich was sworn in as Deputy Mayor and his wife Laura Lassman as Deputy Mayor.

Cllr Vourou, said he was “honoured” to be appointed mayor of a borough where he has lived for 60 years.

The Labor councilor was born in Tottenham but moved to Barnet in 1973 – where he has lived ever since.

He said: “I have lived here for six decades and look forward to giving something back to the many diverse communities that call our neighborhood home.

“I look forward to meeting the many people and organizations that make Barnet the great place it is during my year as Mayor.

Cllr Vourou added: “I would also like to thank Cllr Narenthira for all his work as Mayor over the past year.”

Before moving into board roles, Tony Vourou initially led a career in clothing manufacturing based in North London.

In 1999, he changed paths and became an event coordinator in the hospitality industry.

He was elected as a local councilor on 5 May 2022 and served on both the children and education committee and one of the planning committees.

Cllr Vourou has also been a school governor for two of Barnet’s small schools for the past 27 years alongside his working life.