Gavin Nigel Xavier Harding MBE (born 18 March 1974) is a British politician and academic who was mayor of Selby, North Yorkshire, England. He was the first person in the United Kingdom to become mayor while being formally diagnosed as having a learning disability.[1]

Gavin Harding
Mayor of Selby
In office
2015–2016
Preceded byRosie Corrigan
Succeeded bySteve Shaw-Wright
Selby Town Councillor
for North Ward
Assumed office
2011
Personal details
Born
Gavin Nigel Xavier Harding

18 March 1974
Selby, West Riding of Yorkshire
Political partyLabour
EducationBrayton High School
Alma materSelby College

Harding grew up in Selby, and studied at Brayton High School and Selby College. He is a Labour councillor on Selby Town Council having lived in Selby most of his life representing Selby North ward. Harding has now been elected for his 3rd term as a councillor. He founded a self-advocacy group Voices for People and works for NHS England as a senior learning disability advisor.

Harding served as deputy mayor of Selby in 2014 before being appointed mayor the following year.[1] In 2014, he was awarded an MBE.[2] He has been part of a committee looking into the progress of Winterbourne View, a private hospital condemned for its abuse of people with learning difficulties.[3]

In 2019 Harding was included in the Shaw Trust "Power 100" list of the most influential disabled people for that year.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Gaving Harding: UK's first mayor with a learning disability appointed in Selby". The Independent. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  2. ^ "Councillor and academics receive Queen's Birthday Honours". York Press. 13 June 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Post-Winterbourne View : why have so few learning disabled people been moved out of residential units?". The Guardian. 29 October 2014. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  4. ^ "Gavin Harding MBE". Retrieved 5 December 2019.