The role of Mayor

The role of Mayor

Each year the Council elects one of its councillors to serve as the borough’s Mayor. This election happens at the Council’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), and so each Mayor’s term begins in May and concludes the following May.

The Mayor acts as the borough’s ceremonial and civic head and does not take an active political role in the Council’s affairs.

The key parts of the Mayor’s role are to:

Attend events in the community

Every year the Mayor attends hundreds of engagements hosted by local organisations, charities or businesses across the borough and London. The Mayor attends these events to show support for the work of community organisations and is sometimes asked to make speeches of thanks or give out awards.

The Mayor also acts as a representative of the borough at official or ceremonial events, for example by laying a wreath on behalf of the borough at Remembrance Ceremonies. Find out how to invite the Mayor to your event. 

Chair Council meetings

The Mayor acts as the Chair of Full Council meetings in the Council Chamber at Kensington Town Hall. The Mayor makes sure that councillors get a fair chance to speak (without going over their allotted time) and acts with impartiality, so does not get involved in voting. This is similar to the role of the Speaker in the House of Commons. The Mayor is supported by the Council’s Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer to ensure that standing orders and protocol are followed correctly. 

Hold events in the Mayor’s Parlour at Kensington Town Hall

Over their term, the Mayor hosts a number of receptions and events in the Mayor’s Parlour at Kensington Town Hall. The events each Mayor choses to host vary from year to year, but generally include events such as social functions to show support for local organisations, receptions to raise money for the Mayor’s chosen charity, or awards evenings to thank staff for their long service to the Council.

Receive guests on their official borough engagements

As first citizen of the borough, part of the Mayor’s role is to receive members of the Royal Family and other important guests, such as diplomats and dignitaries, on their official engagements in the borough.