LIBERAL Democrat city councillor Alan Armitage will today become Lord Mayor of Oxford at the mayor making ceremony at Oxford Town Hall.

He will take over from city councillor Elise Benjamin, who was the city’s first Green mayor.

The mayor making ceremony will take place at the town hall in St Aldates at 5pm as part of the annual general meeting of the council.

Mr Armitage, city councillor for North ward, said: “After being Deputy Lord Mayor for the past year, I am really looking forward to my year as first citizen of Oxford.

“My priorities are to find out as much as I can about the minority communities in Oxford and identify ways in which the city council can help them.

“At least 20 per cent of people in the city don’t speak English as their first language, and in 2010 47 per cent of babies born in Oxford had a mother who had been born outside the UK.

“The implication for me of these statistics is that there are a large number of people from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds and they all contribute to the wonderful diversity we have in Oxford.

“I want to help us all live and work together and enjoy one another’s contributions to this great city.

“I think Elise Benjamin has certainly made an impact as the first Green Lord Mayor and I have been very happy to work with her.”

Mohammed Abbasi will be Deputy Lord Mayor, while the Sheriff will be Dee Sinclair.