Yvonne Mosquito facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yvonne Mosquito
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Mosquito in 2019
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| West Midlands Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner | |
| In office 2012–2016 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Ashley Bertie |
| 109th Lord Mayor of Birmingham | |
| In office May 2018 – May 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Anne Underwood |
| Succeeded by | Mohammed Azim |
| Member of the Birmingham City Council | |
| Assumed office 2 May 1996 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 December 1964 Birmingham, England |
| Political party | Labour |
Yvonne Mosquito (born 19 December 1964) is a British politician who served as the 109th Lord Mayor of Birmingham between 2018 and 2019 for the Labour Party. She has served as a member of Birmingham City Council from 1996, currently for the ward of Bordesley and Highgate and until 2018 for the ward of Nechells. Mosquito also served as West Midlands Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner between 2012 and 2016, until a suspension in March 2016 after visiting the family of a murder victim.
Early life and career
Mosquito was born in Balsall Heath and worked at a Saturday school in Handsworth. She then worked for a double glazing company and in the early 1990s worked with young people to help them further their opportunities. In 1996 she was elected to Birmingham City Council as a Labour Party councillor. She is also an ordained minister.
Lord Mayor of Birmingham
In May 2018, Mosquito was made Lord Mayor of Birmingham after Lynda Clinton, Labour's original Lord Mayor Elect, lost her seat in Castle Vale ward by 91 votes on 4 May. The formal mover of the motion was Sybil Spence, the first black woman to serve as Lord Mayor. Mosquito herself became the second black woman and ninth woman overall to serve in the role of Lord Mayor. Conservative Anne Underwood (who served as Lord Mayor 2017–2018) labelled her as a 'champion of the underdog'.
On 14 May 2019, near the end of her time as Lord Mayor, Mosquito officially opened comedian Joe Lycett's kitchen extension. After Mosquito initially declined to attend as it was not a public event, Lycett raffled four tickets to raise money for charity and allow four members of the public to attend. As it was now a public event, Mosquito agreed to open the kitchen extension. Celebrities such as comedian Katherine Ryan and Sky Sports presenter Lloyd Griffith were also in attendance, and a plaque was placed outside the kitchen extension naming it The Mosquito Wing.
In July 2019, Lycett revealed that the raffle made over £3,000 for charity as he presented the money to Mosquito and her successor as Lord Mayor the Liberal Democrats' Mohammed Azim. After Lycett presented the money, Mosquito said he "captures the spirit of Birmingham."
