Mayor of Wigan

Last updated

The Worshipful
Mayor of Wigan
Coat of arms of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.png
Incumbent
Kevin Anderson (50th Mayor of Wigan)
since 25 May 2023
AppointerGeneral Assembly of the Wigan Council
Term length 1 year
Inaugural holderRobert Matthew Lyons
Formation Wigan Council Constitution
1974
Deputy Deputy Mayor of Wigan
Debbie Parkinson
Website Office of the Mayor

The Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan is the first citizen, Chairperson of the Wigan Council and elected representative of the Wigan Borough and the Council.

Contents

Duties of the mayor and its origins

The mayoralty of Wigan goes back to its first creation in 1246 AD, when Henry III granted the town its first royal charter; however, since 1974 the office of the mayor has been created by legislative statute of the Constitution of Wigan Council (Article 5, Section 1). [1] The Mayor of Wigan as the 'First Citizen' has highest precedence unless a member of the royal family is present. As the elected representative of the borough, the mayor acts as focal point for the community as well as promoting the borough and forging national and international links, which includes continuing links with the Mayor of Angers in Western France as the twinned city. The official position of the mayor and the council includes presiding over the meetings of the council, of which, if the mayor is unable to preside at the time, it is the duty of the elected deputy mayor to temporarily take his place. Wigan Town Hall in the centre of Wigan serves as the official location where the office of the mayor is located and also serves as the location for meetings of the council in the main chamber. The Town Hall of Leigh is often used by the mayor and other councillors as a second headquarters.

The position of the Mayor is politically neutral and so even though the Mayor remains Chairman of the Council, the Council assembly elects itself a Leader of the Council who will also chair the Wigan Cabinet. The Office of the Mayor is located in the Wigan Town Hall were the Council Chamber is also located.

When in office, other duties include receiving members of the Royal Family and other state visitors, attending ceremonies and engagements of charities as representative that take place within or out of the borough. The Mayor also leads the service on Remembrance Sunday at the cenotaph of Wigan Town Centre in November.

The longest continuously serving Mayor of Wigan was Stephen Dawber, who served two consecutive terms as Mayor from May 2019 to May 2021, due to the inability of Councillors to meet to select a new Mayor in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Current mayor

The current mayor is Kevin Anderson, who was elected by the council general assembly and officially inaugurated on 25 May 2023. He succeeded Marie Morgan, who served from 26 May 2022 to 25 May 2023. [2]

Succession, deputy mayor, mayoress and consort

The Deputy Mayor of Wigan is elected by the council assembly as second citizen who assists the elected mayor and their consort in their duties. The deputy mayor is also first in succession to the mayoralty. The current deputy mayor is Michael McLoughlin.

Traditionally if the incumbent is a gentleman, the wife of the mayor would take the title of mayoress of Wigan. However, when a female mayor is elected, her husband would assume the role of mayor's consort. [3]

Charity appeal

Traditionally the mayor of Wigan can choose one or more charities to support throughout their year in office.

Style and title

Styles of
The Mayor of Wigan
Coat of arms of Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council.png
Reference style The Mayor of Wigan
Spoken styleMr, Mayor
Alternative style Councillor

The mayor of Wigan is entitled to the style of "The Worshipful" however the style is only used when referring to the office rather than the holder and is not retained after they have left office. The mayor is referred to in speech as "Mr. Mayor" and if a female councillor is in office they are referred to as "Madam Mayor".[ citation needed ]

The full title of the current Mayor is: "The Worshipful The Mayor of Wigan Council, Councillor Kevin Anderson"[ citation needed ]

List of mayors of Wigan

(note: * = deceased)

No.MayorTerm
1Robert Matthew Lyons*19741975
2George Macdonald*19751976
3Joseph Albert Eckersley*19761977
4Thomas Gerard Morgan*19771978
5Leonard Sumner*19781979
6Harry Milligan*19791980
7William Charles Priest France*19801981
8James Bridge*19811982
9Thomas Jones*19821983
10Thomas Isherwood*19831984
11Peter Hull*19841985
12George Alfred Lockett*19851986
13Jack Sumner*19861987
14James Jones*19871988
15David Norris Caley*19881989
16Audrey Bennett19891990
17Ronald McAllister.*19901991
18John Horrocks*19911992
19Arthur Wright*19921993
20Joseph Clarke*19931994
21William Stanley Simmons*19941995
22Norman Bernard Holt*19951996
23Anthony Bernard Coyle*19961997
24Kenneth Pye*19971998
25Samuel Little*19981999
26(part) William Smith*19992000
27(part) Evelyne Smith19992000
28Joan Hurst*20002001
29John E. Hilton20012002
30Geoffrey Roberts20022003
31Wilfred Brogan*20032004
32John Hilton20042005
33Brian Jarvis20052006
34Eunice Smethurst20062007
35John O'Brien20072008
36Rona Winkworth*20082009
37Mark Aldred20092010
38Michael Winstanley20102011
39Joy Birch20112012
40Myra Whiteside20122013
41Billy Rotherham20132014
42Phyllis Cullen20142015
43Susan Loudon20152016
44Ronald Conway20162017
45Bill Clarke20172018
46Susan Greensmith20182019
47Stephen Dawber20192021
48Yvonne Klieve20212022
49Marie Morgan20222023
50Kevin AndersonIncumbent

Related Research Articles

In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as the means by which a mayor is elected or otherwise mandated. Depending on the system chosen, a mayor may be the chief executive officer of the municipal government, may simply chair a multi-member governing body with little or no independent power, or may play a solely ceremonial role. A mayor's duties and responsibilities may be to appoint and oversee municipal managers and employees, provide basic governmental services to constituents, and execute the laws and ordinances passed by a municipal governing body. Options for selection of a mayor include direct election by the public, or selection by an elected governing council or board.

A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Biggs (London politician)</span> British politician, former Mayor of Tower Hamlets

John Robert Biggs is a British Labour Co-op politician who was Mayor of Tower Hamlets between 2015 and 2022.

In England, the offices of mayor and lord mayor have long been ceremonial posts, with few or no duties attached to them. In recent years they have doubled as more influential political roles while retaining the ceremonial functions. A mayor's term of office denotes the municipal year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Council (Pitcairn)</span> Legislature of the Pitcairn Islands

The Island Council is the legislature of the Pitcairn Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belfast City Council</span> Local authority in Northern Ireland

Belfast City Council is the local authority with responsibility for part of Belfast, the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland. The council serves an estimated population of 345,006 (2019), the largest of any district council in Northern Ireland, while being the smallest by area. Belfast City Council is the primary council of the Belfast Metropolitan Area, a grouping of six former district councils with commuter towns and overspill from Belfast, containing a total population of 579,276.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nottingham City Council</span> Non-metropolitan district council for the unitary authority of Nottingham

Nottingham City Council is the local authority for Nottingham, a unitary authority with city status. Nottingham is in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire, England, but as a unitary authority the city council is administratively independent from the surrounding Nottinghamshire County Council. The city council consists of 55 councillors, representing a total of 20 wards, elected every four years. The council is led by David Mellen, of the majority Labour Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Peak Borough Council</span>

High Peak Borough Council is the local authority for High Peak, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Derbyshire, England. The administrative base of High Peak Borough Council is split between sites in the towns of Buxton and Glossop. Full council meetings are usually held at the Pavilion Gardens in Buxton. The council is elected every four years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wigan Metropolitan Borough Council</span> Local authority for Wigan, England

LabourLabour Party (UK)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Manchester Combined Authority</span> Local government body in North West England

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is a combined authority for Greater Manchester, England. It was established on 1 April 2011 and consists of 11 members; 10 indirectly elected members, each a directly elected councillor from one of the ten metropolitan boroughs that comprise Greater Manchester, together with the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester. The authority derives most of its powers from the Local Government Act 2000 and Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, and replaced a range of single-purpose joint boards and quangos to provide a formal administrative authority for Greater Manchester for the first time since the abolition of Greater Manchester County Council in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medway Council</span> Local authority of Medway in Kent, England

Medway Council is the local authority of Medway in Kent, England. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined.

The Mayor of Newham is a directly elected mayor responsible for the executive function of Newham London Borough Council in east London, England. The position is different from the previously existing annually appointed mayors of Newham, known as 'Civic Ambassador' from 2002 until the office was discontinued in 2009. The inaugural holder of the post, created on 2 May 2002, was Robin Wales - who held the position for five terms between 2002-2018. Wales was deselected as the candidate for Labour in the 2018 election, which led to the election of Rokhsana Fiaz as mayor, after Labour held Newham in the mayoral and local council elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deputy Mayor of Wigan</span>

The Deputy Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough Wigan is the Vice Chairman of Wigan Council, elected annually by the Wigan Council General Assembly to serve as 'Second Citizen', assisting the Mayor and Mayoress in official duties, and assuming the role of council chairman in the absence of the mayor. The Deputy Mayor is also first in the Mayoral Line of Succession should the office of the mayor become vacant. The position of Deputy Mayoress of Wigan is usually held by the wife of the deputy mayor, or a relative, or a fellow councillor if unmarried.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Kent County Council election</span>

The Kent County Council election, 2013 was an election to all 84 seats on Kent County Council held on Thursday 2 May as part of the 2013 United Kingdom local elections. 84 councillors were elected from 72 electoral divisions, which returned either one or two county councillors each by first-past-the-post voting for a four-year term of office. The electoral divisions were the same as those used at the previous election in 2009. No elections were held in Medway, which is a unitary authority outside the area covered by the County Council. The election saw the Conservative Party narrowly retain overall control of the council.

The office of Mayor of Medway is the highest position in the unitary area of Medway, in Kent, England. The Office is currently held by Cllr Nina Gurung, who assumed the post on 24 May 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas Borough Council</span>

The Douglas Borough Council is the local elected authority for the capital of the Isle of Man, the town of Douglas, and one of the 17 parishes that run local services on the Isle. It is the largest local authority, with 12 elected councillors representing the borough.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1941 Christchurch mayoral election</span>

The 1941 Christchurch City mayoral election was held on 17 May. The incumbent, Robert Macfarlane of the Labour Party, did not stand for re-election as he wanted to serve in WWII. Four candidates stood and Ernest Andrews of the conservative Citizens' Association was successful. Andrews was installed on 28 May 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Hackney London Borough Council election</span> 2022 local election in Hackney

The 2022 Hackney London Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022. All 57 members of Hackney London Borough Council were up for election. The elections took place alongside the election for the mayor of Hackney, local elections in the other London boroughs, and elections to local authorities across the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mayor of Wrexham</span> Position in Wrexham County Borough Council

The mayor of Wrexham is the civic figurehead and first citizen of the city of Wrexham, and Wrexham County Borough in the north of Wales. The position is elected by members of Wrexham County Borough Council at their annual meeting, and today, holders of the position mainly serve a one-year term. The position is currently held by Councillor Andy Williams of Garden Village, who previously served the role in 2018–2019.

References

  1. http://democracy.wigan.gov.uk/documents/s1266/2.5%20Article%205%20-%20Chairing%20the%20Council.pdf [ dead link ]
  2. Lythgoe, George (25 May 2023). "'Queen of Wigan' makes way for new mayor". Manchester Evening News.
  3. "About the Mayor".