The Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Susan Galloway, will attend a private ceremony next week to award the prestigious Freedom of the City to a selected few, including her right-hand woman. 

On Tuesday 31 August, at 4.30pm, the council's senior solicitor and the Master of the Gild of Freemen will meet each applicant who are set to receive the Freedom.

Each of the three applicants are from the same family and include, Anne Platt, John Skelton and Megan Teasdale.

Anne is council's Civic Support manager (or the Lord Mayor's right-hand woman), who looks after the Lord Mayor and civic party during their year of office.  Having been in post since 2004, Anne is currently looking after her seventh successive Lord Mayor and civic party.

Anne and John (brother and sister) both live in York and are claiming Freedom through their great grandfather, Wilfred James Betchetti who was admitted to the freedom in 1900.

Megan is claiming Freedom by birthright through her grandfather, Edward Francis Betchetti, who was admitted to the freedom in 1924.

A private freedom ceremony is being held, as Megan Teasdale lives in New Zealand and is on holiday in the UK this month.