Bradford District Care NHS Foundation Trust has announced who will sit on its council of governors following its governor elections which ended on Thursday 22 March.

Trust members have been voting for who they would most like to be represented by, and the successful candidates are: Kevin Russell, Zahra Niavi and Rupy Hayre for Bradford East; Colin Perry, Mahfooz Khan and Ruth Omenyo for Bradford West; Loretta Gooch for Craven; Nicholas Smith for Keighley; and Sarah Jones and Sidney Brown for Shipley. The governors representing Bradford South are George Deane, Jason Smith and Francesca Stefanyszyn whose seats were uncontested and did not require a vote.

The new governors will have their induction next month, where they will meet some of the Trust’s Board, and will officially take up their posts on 1 May 2018. Their role will be to represent the views of local people about the Trust’s services and plans at Council of Governor meetings.

Governors also appoint any new non-executive directors, including the chair, to the Trust Board and agree their levels of remuneration. They also approve the appointment of the external auditor and the chief executive.

The new governors’ terms of office will end in April 2021. They will join two existing governors who are already in post.

Paul Hogg, the Trust’s Director of Corporate Affairs, said: “We’d like to thank everyone who showed an interest in becoming a governor of our Trust, and everyone who voted. Governors provide us with a vital link to the communities we serve and enable us to hear the views and thoughts of both members of the public and Trust staff. I’d like to congratulate the successful candidates who will be joining the Trust as public governors and I look forward to working with them.”

Members of the public who wish to share their thoughts about Trust services can contact their local governor by emailing ft@bdct.nhs.uk.