Port Glasgow woman elected Lord Mayor of Westminster

Patricia McAllister has been living in London since 1970 and has been a councillor for the people of Westminster's Queen's Park since 2009. 

She was elected as Lord Mayor unanimously by her fellow councillors on Westminster Council, and will be in the role for one year. 

Her family travelled from Inverclyde to support her at a mayor-making ceremony, which was the first ever to include a bagpiper. 

Patricia, 73, who has kept her west of Scotland accent and is very proud of her Inverclyde roots, said: "It's a huge honour for a wee lassie from Port Glasgow. 

"I will get to see places and do things in this role that I would never have had the chance to do before.

"It's an enormous privilege but it really is quite daunting.

"The mayor-making ceremony was very nerve-wracking, just with the whole gravity of the situation.

"I was so moved that my friends and family travelled down to support me."

On the first day in her new role as mayor, Patricia she met King Charles and within a couple of hours, she was talking to people at a community cafe who are living with homelessness. 

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She said meeting people from a whole range of cultures and backgrounds has been the most rewarding part of her job as a councillor, and she wants to experience even more of that in her role as mayor. 

Patricia was born in Barr's Brae and grew up in Park Farm. 

She went to St John's school and then to St Columba's in Greenock before getting a job with the civil service, working for the Department of Work and Pensions. 

When she was promoted in her role at the age of 20 she opted to move to London and stayed with a couple of friends. 

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More than 50 years later, she's still loving her life in the capital. 

When Patricia left the civil service after 30 years, she got a job as a registrar at Camden Council, then worked for the government's Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), before becoming a GP's receptionist. 

She applied to become a councillor when she was 60 and has now been with Westminster Council for almost 14 years. 

Her work in public service has led her to passionately support two charities - The Passage, which helps young single people living with homelessness, and the Carers Network. 

Patricia returned to Inverclyde for a time in 2006/07 to look after her mum and was supported by Inverclyde Carers Centre.

She said: "I only managed to get out twice a week for two hours. 

"Carers are the unsung heroes in our communities. 

"There are a lot of children who are carers and are still at school.

"I want to see what we can do to help these charities and help boost their profile."

Patricia says while she loves the incredible arts, culture and architecture of Westminster, the Port will always have a place in her heart. 

She said: "I didn't realise how beautiful Port Glasgow was until I left and went back. 

"When you're walking down Iona Road, no matter what the weather is like, it's absolutely beautiful."

Patricia said her values as a councillor will continue in her role as Lord Mayor, with people at the heart of everything she does. 

"I get to meet so many people, from people experiencing real difficulties to royalty.

"Being a councillor is a job like no other.

"People are people wherever you go. 

"They're definitely the best part of the job."