24 September 2026
The New Role of Lord Mayor, with Jason Fazackarley
Jason Fazackarley
With the prospect of major government reorganisation edging ever closer in our region, the idea of a ‘mayor’ has never been more topical. But there are differences between an elected mayor and the (relatively rare) position of Lord Mayor as we’ll discover from Jason as he talks about his time as Lord Mayor of Portsmouth.
Apart from a 2014-18 break, Jason has been a Portsmouth councillor since 1995 and was Lord Mayor in 2004/5 & 2024/25. According to a BBC article he has a “reputation for putting residents before politics”. More interested in local life than party affiliation, he has changed party several times since being a councillor, most recently moving from the Liberal Democrats to Reform. Beyond politics Jason has spent 12 years in the Armed Forces, worked for several decades in the Civil Service (HMRC), moved into the retail sector and even had a brief stint in the French Foreign Legion!
Married to Michelle, he lives in Portsmouth, within the local ward that he represents.
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