The Mayor of Islington

Meet Councillor Rosaline Ogunro

Councillor Rosaline Ogunro was born in a town, Issele-Uku, Delta State, Nigeria, the first of seven children. She came to live in the UK in 2001.

Councillor Ogunro obtained a Diploma in English Law and Bachelor of Laws Honours Degree (LLB) at the Open University, London. She then went to the College of Law, London for a part time legal practice course while working full time at the London Symphony Orchestra.

A councillor since May 2022, Councillor Ogunro has sat on a range of council committees - including Homes and Communities Scrutiny, Children and Young People Scrutiny, and the Planning and Licensing Committees.

Councillor Ogunro said: “There is nothing I enjoy more than helping and serving members of our community and I cannot wait to continue doing that as Mayor of Islington. Becoming Mayor is the honour of a lifetime, and I’m looking forward to bringing my compassion and hard-working nature to the role.”

A passionate singer, Councillor Ogunro has two music albums to her name and was also a member of the London Symphony Orchestra Community Choir from 2003 to 2022. As well as singing, her hobbies include designing and making clothes.

What the Mayor does

Islington has a ceremonial mayor. The Mayor is elected or chosen by other councillors and serves for one year.

During that time, the Mayor represents the borough at many important events as the borough’s first citizen.  

The Mayor also leads full council, a big council meeting. If there is ever a tie when councillors voted, the Mayor gets to make the final decision.

Each year the Mayor represents the council at around 500 events. These include: 

• opening events, fairs and fetes
• visiting schools or day centres
• attending important events like Refugee Week, Windrush Day, LGBTQ+ History Month, and community festivals and religious celebrations
• celebrating local people and communities, like during Civic Pride Week volunteer awards, or summer reading challenge celebrations
• speaking at dinners and receptions for different groups and organisations
• visiting residents on their 100th birthday to say congratulations
• leading citizenship ceremonies for new UK citizens
• running all full council meetings