The mayor of the council is elected annually and carries out our civic ceremonial duties and chairs meetings of the full council.

The Mayor of Chesterfield for 2024 to 2025 is Councillor Jenny Flood

Jenny was born in Lincolnshire, the youngest of three children.

Her career has been shaped by her parents, whose own careers focused on health, supporting those in need, and taking care of orphaned children.

After taking her A Levels, Jenny started her career as a student nurse at University College Hospital, London. This is also where she became a staff nurse, a union representative, a clinical teacher, and a ward sister specialising in the care of the elderly. Jenny later progressed to Nether Edge Hospital in Sheffield to open the stroke unit and manage the acute unit as assistant matron, resulting in moving to Hasland, where she was closer to her sister.

Jenny made a career change when she married her late husband, Raymond, becoming a:

• full-time trade union official for Confederation of Health Service Employees (COHSE) in the Trent region, she was the women’s officer
• Trade Union and Labour Party Liaison Organisation (TULO) representative
• representative on the East Midlands Region Labour Party, where she became chair

She was elected to serve on the English National Board, the then part of the United Kingdom Central Nursing Council, and following the union merger, was the UNISON officer for health branches in:

• North and South Derbyshire
• Central Notts
• South Lincolnshire
• several ambulance branches
• the University of Derby

Jenny loved going to concerts, the theatre, visiting preserved steam train lines, historical sites with her late husband, Raymond, and spending time together on various holidays to the coast, the countryside, and abroad, including sailing with friends around the Greek islands.

Jenny has one son, Nathan, and a daughter-in-law, Joanna. Jenny has a wonderful grandson, Arthur, and a granddaughter on the way.

In her spare time, Jenny loves swimming, tapestry, baking and being a nanna to her grandson.

In 2011, after her retirement, Jenny stood for Rother Ward and has been re-elected ever since. She has served on several committees and was chair of the scrutiny committee.

She is active in her community, influencing the development of parks and setting up the Rother Active Youth Club to provide holiday activities and food to young children.

She was responsible for helping set up Gussies Kitchen, a not-for-profit social-eating café, which provided free food to 300 households weekly throughout the pandemic, and now Gussies Pantry is providing a weekly food shop for those in food poverty. She is also chair and a trustee for Derbyshire Law Centre.

Jenny feels it is important to help young people achieve their potential and have opportunities and experiences that enable them to have the necessary support and chances through education, provision of skills, and learning the importance of community, equality and teamwork.

The Mayoress of Chesterfield for 2023 to 2024 is Heather Hopkinson 

Heather has lived in Chesterfield all her life. She attended primary school in Inkersall and then went to Netherthorpe School until completing sixth form. Her working career began at Inkersall Green School on a youth training scheme working with children with additional needs. Through this work, she knew she had found her niche (working with children) and started to gain more experience in youth work.

Heather attended the University of Derby as a mature student and gained a qualification in Youth and Community. Heather never looked back and has been working with children and families for over 30 years.

Throughout her career, she has always worked in communities in and around Chesterfield, engaging children and families in a variety of settings, working as a:

• multi-agency worker
• teaching assistant
• and youth worker (predominantly in the Rother area), and this was how her path crossed with Jenny

Heather currently works as a Community Liaison Officer at Parkside Secondary School and is known as a caring, hard-working, proactive, and adaptable person committed to making a positive impact on everyone that she meets.

Heather has always strived to make a positive difference to people’s lives and help fulfil their aspirations.

She is a mother to three wonderful children named Sarah, Leanne, and Jamie. Her fiancé Stephen has two children, Jack and Laurie. Heather loves to spend time with all four grandsons; her family means a great deal to her.

Mayor’s charity 

The Mayor’s Appeal will be raising funds for Derbyshire Law Centre, Chesterfield Royal Charity, supporting staff’s health and wellbeing post-Covid, and Rural Action Derbyshire’s Feeding Chesterfield initiative. 

You can donate to the Mayor’s Appeal by cash or cheque to:

Chesterfield Borough Council
Mayor’s Office
Town Hall
Rose Hill
Chesterfield
S40 1LP

Please address your cheques to Chesterfield Borough Council, and on the reverse, please state ‘Mayor’s Appeal’.

Cash and cheques can also be handed in or posted to the Town Hall reception.

Alternatively, you may contact the Mayor’s Office to organise a Bankers' Automated Clearing System (BACS) donation towards the Mayor’s Appeal. You can contact the Mayor's Office by phone at 01246 345239, mobile at 07497 913234, or email at mayors.office@chesterfield.gov.uk.