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 Beryl Blackmore of Marford and Hoseley for the 2024/2025 term.
Before the establishment of the position in 1857, the then town of Wrexham was largely administered by the manorial courts of the gentry and parish Vestry. [1] The manorial courts became overwhelmed with the increasing local government responsibilities placed on them, with the Vestry increasingly adding secular matters to their originally religious operations to compensate the manorial courts. [1]
By 1848, concerns over the system of various local government in managing the growing town's sanitary conditions, in particular the public health threat of cholera, [1] [2] [3] led to locals launching a petition to the Privy Council in February 1857 for the town to be incorporated. [1] On 23 September 1857, the town was granted a Charter of Incorporation, [2] [4] spanning the two townships of the town, Wrexham Abbot and Wrexham Regis, [3] as well as part of Esclusham Below. This charter lead to the forming of the borough of Wrexham, with a borough council (a corporation) and a position of mayor under the terms of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. [5] [6] [7] [8] The position of mayor of the borough of Wrexham was first occupied by Thomas Edgworth. [1] In 1974, the post of Mayor of Wrexham Borough Council, was superseded by Mayor of Wrexham Maelor Borough Council within Clwyd. [9] [10] Clwyd itself was abolished in 1996, following the enactment of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, [11] with the position transferred to the newly established Wrexham County Borough Council, the council of the newly formed Wrexham County Borough. [8] [11]
The mayor wears the "Mayor's Chain", dating to 1872. There are equivalent chains for the Mayoress, Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayoress. A Ceremonial mace is carried in front of the mayor in civic proceedings, and dates back to 1866. [12]
Wrexham became a city in September 2022. [13]
The Mayor of Wrexham, as well as the Deputy Mayor of Wrexham, is elected by members of Wrexham County Borough Council at their annual meeting. Presently, the position is usually held for one year for the appointed councillor, although past mayors have held the post for more than two years. [1]
The mayor is the First Citizen of Wrexham County Borough and a figurehead for the council. Their position is to represent the entire county borough, acting as a link between the council and citizens, and symbolically represent continuity, an open society (by elected irrespective of class, gender, or ethnicity), and a figure in times of crisis, tragedy or triumph. [14]
Administratively, the mayor presides over council meetings and at civic functions, and acts as a tiebreaker in the event of equal votes in the council. They have precedence at any function within the county borough, including over government ministers, MPs and MSs, but except in the presence of the Monarch, British royal family, or the Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd. [14] [15]
During their one-year term, the mayor is expected to contribute to five formal civic events through the year. The five events being; the council's annual meeting, civic visit to Church, Royal Welch Fusiliers Reunion Weekend, a charity ball, and the annual remembrance service. [14] Outside these more formal events, the mayor is expected to be attending 400 other engagements. [1]
Each mayor nominates a charity or charities to receive funds that have been fundraised during their term. The mayor may also request donations to other causes. [14]
The Wrexham County Borough Coat of arms is inherited from Wrexham Maelor, which is itself derived from the two authorities preceding Wrexham Maelor, the borough of Wrexham and Wrexham Rural District. [14]
The current mayor for the 2024/2025 term is Councillor Beryl Blackmore of Marford and Hoseley since 21 May 2024, with Tina Mannering of Gwersyllt East as deputy. [14] [16] Previous deputy mayors are usually promoted to mayor the following year by convention in Wrexham, [17] [18] however the 2022/2023 deputy mayor was suspended and withdrew their candidacy to serve as mayor for the following term. [19] [20]
A list of the mayors of Wrexham County Borough Council and its predecessor councils is present on the council's website. [21]
Wrexham is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the county of Denbighshire, and later the county of Clwyd in 1974, it has been the principal settlement of Wrexham County Borough since 1996.
Flintshire is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Merseyside and Cheshire, across the Dee Estuary to the north and by land to the east respectively, Wrexham County Borough to the south, and Denbighshire to the west. Connah's Quay is the largest town, while Flintshire County Council is based in Mold.
Flintshire, also known as the County of Flint, was one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales, in the north-east of Wales.
Denbighshire, or the County of Denbigh, was one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales, in the north of Wales. It was a maritime county, that was bounded to the north by the Irish Sea, to the east by Flintshire, Cheshire and Shropshire, to the south by Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire, and to the west by Caernarfonshire.
Wrexham County Borough is a county borough, with city status, in the north-east of Wales. It borders the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire and Shropshire to the east and south-east respectively along the England–Wales border, Powys to the south-west, Denbighshire to the west and Flintshire to the north-west. The city of Wrexham is the administrative centre. The county borough is part of the preserved county of Clwyd.
North Wales is a region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia National Park and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley, known for its mountains, waterfalls and trails, wholly within the region. Its population is concentrated in the north-east and northern coastal areas, with significant Welsh-speaking populations in its western and rural areas. North Wales is imprecisely defined, lacking any exact definition or administrative structure. It is commonly defined administratively as its six most northern principal areas, but other definitions exist, with Montgomeryshire historically considered to be part of the region.
Alyn and Deeside was one of six local government districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales from 1974 to 1996. There is still a parliamentary constituency of the same name.
Wrexham Maelor was a local government district with borough status, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales, from 1974 to 1996.
Flintshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Flintshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. It is based at County Hall in Mold.
Wrexham is a parliamentary constituency centred on the city of Wrexham in the preserved county of Clwyd, Wales in the United Kingdom. It was created in 1918, and is represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Andrew Ranger of the Labour Party.
Marford is a village in Wrexham County Borough, Wales, near the Wales-England border.
Wrexham is a constituency of the Senedd. It elects one Member of the Senedd by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the North Wales electoral region, which elects four additional members, in addition to nine constituency members, to produce a degree of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
Wrexham County Borough Council is the governing body for Wrexham County Borough, a principal area with city status in north Wales, covering Wrexham and the surrounding area.
The city of Wrexham in north-east Wales has a history dating back to ancient times. The former market town was the site of heavy industry in the 19th and 20th centuries, and is now an active commercial centre. Wrexham was granted city status in 2022.
In Wales, the office of Mayor or Lord Mayor had long been ceremonial posts, with little or no duties attached to it. Traditionally mayors have been elected by town, borough and city councils. Since 2000, councils can decide to have directly elected mayors with extensive powers if such a proposal is approved in a local referendum.
Wrexham Archives and Local Studies holds the archives for the city of Wrexham. The archives are held at County Buildings, on Regent Street, Wrexham, and run by Wrexham County Borough Council as part of its Wrexham Archives and Local Studies Service. The centre was initially named after local Wrexham historian Alfred Neobard Palmer. The building is shared with Wrexham County Borough Museum and the archives opened in 2002.
The Rofft was a historic site at Marford in the Wrexham County Borough. It was initially a pre-historic camp, and later a motte and bailey castle. There are no visible remains of the site today.
The 2022 Wrexham County Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2022 to elect 56 members to Wrexham County Borough Council, the principal council of Wrexham County Borough, Wales. On the same day, elections were held to the other 21 local authorities, and community councils in Wales as part of the 2022 Welsh local elections. The previous Wrexham County Borough all-council election took place in May 2017 and future elections will take place every five years, with the next scheduled for 2027.
County Buildings is a Grade II listed building in Wrexham, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. It currently houses the Wrexham County Borough Museum and Wrexham Archives. By 2026, the building would become one museum, dedicated to both Wrexham and Welsh football heritage. The building is located between Saint Mark's Road and Regent Street in the city centre and Offa, bounded by Wrexham Cathedral to the west.
