About the Mayor

The Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane for 2023/24 is Cllr David Leeks

Mayor's biography

Councillor David Leeks is honoured to be serving his second term as Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, having first been Mayor in 2011-12. He will be accompanied by his wife Amanda as the Mayoress and together they are looking forward to visiting all areas of the borough and meeting as many of its residents as possible during their Mayoral year.

David was born in 1955, the youngest of three brothers, a few hundred yards away from the civic offices at the Shrubbery Maternity Hospital. Later the same year David contracted Polio, which left him with no muscle in his left leg and weakness in his left hip. David went to local schools in Tadley.

After leaving school he went to work for the Co-operative Society and within a year he was accepted on the management training scheme, attending Highbury College in Portsmouth. Halfway through the three year course he saw a vacancy for a manager’s job at the Co-operative at Brighton Hill, got the job and became the Co-op’s youngest store manager. He then moved to other companies within the grocery business.

Due to increasingly long working hours, at 25 David made a career change and joined the civil service in a management position, firstly in Basingstoke, then Newbury and eventually London. During this time, while volunteering with Basingstoke Samaritans, he met another volunteer, Amanda and they married five months later, in 1984.

In 1987 their first son Simon, was born, followed in 1989 by another son, Graham, who was born on the same day as his grandad. As the commute to London was affecting his health, David and Amanda jointly decided that David would give up work and look after the children while Amanda continued her career as a community midwife. This arrangement was unusual at that time.

While working with Shopmobility, David and Amanda met a young volunteer, Michele, who had nowhere to stay over Christmas and they invited her to stay with them. Michele has remained a much-loved part of their family and she and her four children continue to bring as much happiness and laughter to the family as Simon and Graham, their partners and children do.

In the early 1990s David was elected to Tadley Town Council and then to Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council in 1995, representing Tadley South. In the 2021 elections, under boundary changes, this became the Tadley South and Pamber ward.

David was also the Chairman of Tadley Town Council. He was a founding member of Atomic Weapons Establishment Local Liaison Committee, and former chairman of Tadley Community Association. He was the former national Chairman of The British Polio Fellowship and is currently chairman of the local branch.

David is a trustee of the Ambrose Allen and Turbury Allotments and was until last year, a governor of Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. He is Life President of Tadley singers. He was also the instigator of the Tadley Christmas Lights and is still the master of ceremonies at the annual switch on.

David’s hobbies include charity work, spending time with his family and travelling.

The Mayor’s theme for 2023–2024

Community Volunteering

The Mayor and Mayoress have a long history of volunteering and have seen first hand the benefits it can bring to the individual, the charity and the community, particularly those who might need extra support. They believe that volunteering helps people to become aware of the challenges faced by others and encourages empathy and understanding of each other, leading to closer and happier communities.

About the Mayor Cllr Leeks - brochure 2023/24(PDF) [407 kb]

Mayoress

Amanda Leeks was born in 1958, in London, the eldest of four children. Her parents moved in 1968 from Dorset to Baughurst where she attended the local schools, youth clubs and church. After sixth form at Queen Mary’s College, she trained as a nurse in Cardiff working at the Royal Berkshire Hospital before qualifying as a midwife in 1982. Almost 40 years of service with the NHS followed with Amanda retiring from midwifery 2016. Amanda met David while volunteering for the Samaritans and has supported David with his public life and many charities over the years.

David and Amanda have been married for 38 years, have two sons Simon and Graham and an ‘honorary daughter’ Michele. Amanda and David have nine grandchildren to keep them busy.

When not working Amanda enjoys volunteering in the garden at The Vyne, travelling and reading a good book.

The Deputy Mayor

The Mayor asks the Deputy Mayor to stand in if the Mayor is not available.

The Deputy Mayor for 2023/24 is Cllr Dan Putty