Dan Cohen becomes the 131st Lord Mayor of Leeds

Taking over the role from Councillor Abigail Marshall Katung, Councillor Cohen is the 131^st Lord Mayor of Leeds. He will be joined in his mayoral year by his wife, Mrs Elayna Cohen, who will take on the role of Lady Mayoress.

Above: Councillor Dan Cohen (centre right) with the former Lord Mayor, Abigail Marshall Katung (centre left), the Leader of Leeds City Council, Councillor James Lewis (right), and the political group leaders following yesterday's ceremony. 

Born in Alwoodley, Councillor Cohen attended Leeds Grammar School before reading law at Northumbria University. Graduating in 1996 and after training as a solicitor, Councillor Cohen spent most of his working career as managing director and head of in-house legal at Madison Hosiery; a leading Leeds small and medium enterprise importing and distributing hosiery to the country’s major retailers, a family business started by his father Henry Cohen in the 1960’s.

Councillor Cohen was elected to Leeds City Council for the Alwoodley ward in May 2011 and has since built a reputation as an effective and dynamic ward councillor, together with chairing the council’s Children and Families Scrutiny Board.

Above: The new Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen. 

Alongside his council role, Councillor Cohen is also head of in-house legal at The Cohen Foundation, Chair of Governors at Leeds Jewish Free School, which he helped found in 2013, together with being a governor at Brodetsky Primary School, Highfield Primary School, and Allerton High School.

As is traditional for a new Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Cohen has nominated a charity to represent during his term of office and has chosen Leeds Mencap.

Leeds Mencap is a local, independent charity supporting children and young people with learning disabilities, autism and other additional needs to feel valued, supported and equipped to thrive.

Rabbi Anthony Gilbert has kindly agreed to act as the Lord Mayor’s chaplain during his year of office.

Above: The new Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen.

The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen, said: “I am honoured and hugely humbled to become the 131^st Lord Mayor of Leeds, especially as we move into our city's 400th birthday year.”

“As a Leeds boy, it means the world to be able to serve my city in this way. Leeds is an amazing, vibrant, diverse, and dynamic city, and its citizens reflect all those qualities in bucketfuls. It’s an opportunity of a lifetime to have this chance to serve my home city as its Lord Mayor.

“It is also an honour to be representing such a worthwhile charity as Leeds Mencap throughout my mayoral year. I will do all I can throughout my tenure to raise the profile and much-needed funds for this fantastic organisation.”

Above: The Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Dan Cohen and the Lady Mayoress, Elayna Cohen. 

The new Lady Mayoress, Elayna Cohen, said: “I’m very honoured to become Lady Mayoress and I’m really looking forward to supporting Dan in his Mayoral duties throughout the coming year.

“It will be such an honour to meet so many people, doing fantastic work for our city and the community, and to have the opportunity to thank and recognise everyone for all they do to make our city the very best place to live in the UK.”