New Mayor of Worthing pledges year of community celebration
The new Mayor of Worthing has been elected.
Councillor Lysanne Skinner has been elected, following the annual meeting of Worthing Borough Council.
Councillor Skinner, who represents Tarring Ward, has served as deputy mayor for the past 12 months – before being voted into the mayoral role for 2026/27 on Tuesday night (May 19).
She said: “I’m extremely honoured to be serving as Mayor of Worthing for the next year. I’m looking forward to meeting lots of members of our community and discovering more about our wonderful town with the support of my husband and children.”
During her year in office, the mayor – who was born in the Netherlands and grew up in Hertfordshire – plans to highlight local groups and events across Worthing through social media, using the hashtag #themayorwiththepinkhair.
Her chosen mayoral charities for the year are inclusive cycling project Cycall, Worthing Cat Welfare Trust, and Reaching Families, which supports parents and families of children and young people with special educational needs.
She added: “I am honoured to have been elected as Mayor of Worthing for 2026-27.
“My parents instilled in us a very strong sense of social justice, equality and civic duty from an early age. My dad grew up in a working class family in a rough part of Manchester and worked hard to provide a better life for himself and his family. My parents would teach us about important historical events such as the miners strikes and the suffragettes so that we could have democratic rights, and my mum even took me along to demonstrations, including protests against the closure of our local maternity ward.
“Although I’m not native to Worthing, Sussex has always felt like home. As a child, I spent lots of time in Brighton visiting my grandparents Eric and Jenny whenever they were back in the UK. Later, I moved to Brighton for work in my early twenties, where I met my wonderful husband Neil. Eventually we came to Worthing to start our family.
“My career began as as a secondary school drama teacher, a job I enjoyed for eight years. After the birth of my son, I left teaching and started my own business providing babywearing support to thousands of families across West Sussex.
“Today I work supporting young people who are unable to access mainstream education, teaching them in their homes and helping them rebuild confidence in themselves and in learning.
“I was inspired to take a more proactive role in my local community shortly after Dexter’s birth in May 2016 following a tumultuous year in national politics. Like many new parents, I was very emotional, fiercely protective, and wanting the absolute best for my precious baby. I decided I would actually try and build a fairer and kinder world for him to inherit.
“It took a few attempts, but two years ago I was incredibly proud to be elected to represent Tarring ward.”
A late ADHD diagnosis, and her daughter Trixie’s diagnosis last year, strengthened councillor Skinner’s determination ‘even further’.
She added: “As someone who is neurodivergent, I know both the strengths and the challenges that can come with it, and how difficult it can be to access the support and care we are entitled to.
“That’s one of the reasons I’m embracing #themayorwithpinkhair. If my year as Mayor can show even one neurodivergent young person that there is space for them in leadership, public life and positions of responsibility, then I’ll consider that a success.
“Lastly, I want to thank my husband Neil for his endless support, patience and encouragement, and to Dexter and Trixie, everything I do is ultimately for you. You are my motivation every single day to try to leave the world a little fairer, kinder and more compassionate than I found it.
“As mayor, I hope to be firm, fair and funny. I also want to be approachable. I want people to feel that this role belongs to everybody in our community.”
Worthing Borough Council said the local authority welcomed the appointment and looked forward to the year ahead, highlighting the importance of the mayoral role in supporting community organisations and celebrating local achievements across the town.
Councillor Henna Chowdhury, who represents Gaisford Ward, was also confirmed as deputy mayor for 2026/27 at the same meeting.