Tonight I was selected as the Liberal Democrat candidate for the Broxtowe constituency in the General Election to be held on 7 May. I am absolutely delighted that Broxtowe Liberal Democrats were unanimous in their support for me in this new venture. 

I am stepping down as a councillor on Broxtowe Borough Council at the end of this administration and also as a Town Councillor for Stapleford, and this frees me up to take on this new role. I will consider my position as a County Councillor for Bramcote and Stapleford if and when I am elected as an MP. 

I will remain the Mayor of the Borough of Broxtowe until 20 May 2015, the date of the first council meeting of the new administration following the Borough elections on 7 May. I promise I will not use my ongoing position as the Mayor to promote my chances of being elected as an MP. The position of Mayor is an apolitical role and I will keep it so.

The next few weeks will be a very exciting time indeed!

Many thanks to the 382 guests who came to enjoy the Spring into Summer Charity Ball and Civic Night at the Nottingham Belfry. The food and entertainment were excellent  and the feedback as people left was that everyone had enjoyed themselves enormously. This was the main fundraising event for my charities Cancer Research UK and HOPE Nottingham and over £2500 was raised from the raffle and auctions. People were so generous. Thank you very much. There are some more fundraising events to come:

On Thursday 2 April at 10am there is an Easter Coffee Morning at the Carnegie Centre in Stapleford. Everyone welcome.

On Sunday 26 April Mr Luke Cairney will run the London Marathon as the Mayor's Champion. 

The final event will be the Mayor's Garden Party at the Victoria Hotel in Beeston, This will be on Saturday 16 May, details are below.

We expect to raise well over £10,000 for the charities by the end of my mayoral year. Thank you all so much for your generosity.

Many, many thanks to all those who have booked tickets for Broxtowe's  Civic Ball on Saturday. Three hundred and eighty two people are coming. Final arrangements are now being put in place and a great night is guaranteed for all. I am really looking forward to welcoming the other 380 of you! Arrival is 7pm for 7.30pm but if you all arrive at once there will be a long queue and you will have to wait for your welcome drink! Please bear with us as we try to cope with the large number of guests. We have good food, good music, three auctions, a super raffle, and above all, excellent guests from the locality (you) and also from Gutersloh in Germany. Come prepared to have a great time. Please also come prepared to support my charities, Cancer Research UK and HOPE Nottingham. See you on Saturday.

Do you have your tickets for Broxtowe Borough Council's Civic Ball on Saturday 28 March at the Belfry Hotel? The last minute demand for tickets has been hectic and we are almost sold out. You really must apply NOW to stand a chance of going. 

This is the main fund-raising event for the charities that I support as the Mayor, and Lillian and I are looking forward to a fantastic evening with all the friends we have made during the mayoral year. Also we have a delegation from Guttersloh attending. It will be a truly wonderful evening. We really do hope to see you there.

It has just been announced that the Post Office at number 4 Montrose Court, Stapleford is to move to number 5 Montrose Court, the Premier Store, next door. At the same time the opening hours will be extended and the office will be open from 7.30am to 9pm Monday to Saturday, and from 7.30am to 6pm on Sundays. There is a public consultation on this that starts today and ends on 23 April and comments can be sent to comments@postoffice.co.uk. My own view is that the extended opening hours are very welcome indeed.