Labour councillor and local solicitor Jane Riley is to be the next mayor of Ipswich – she is set to take over the role from Sarah Barber at the annual council meeting in May.

Mrs Riley has been a member of the council since 2014 and is also chair of the trustees of the Ipswich Film Theatre Trust.

She will be nominated to become mayor of the borough by the ruling Labour group at the annual meeting of the council on May 16.

She is a partner at the Ipswich law firm Kerseys and is married to Adam.

Mrs Riley is a director of the council-owned investment company Ipswich Borough Assets which owns a number of commercial buildings in the town. She has also been very active in the Scouting movement in the Ipswich area.

Mrs Riley will take over as mayor from Ipswich Hospital nurse Sarah Barber who has had an action-packed 12 months as the town’s first citizen.