Just what does the role of Mayor involve?

The Mayor of Wolverhampton is the First Citizen in the City.

The Office of Mayor is the highest honour the local authority can give to a Councillor as, he or she is recognised as being second only to Royalty and Her Majesty's Lord Lieutenant.

The role of the Mayor involves:

  • acting as an ambassador for the city
  • encouraging a sense of civic pride amongst local young people
  • promoting the city regionally and internationally
  • fostering good working relationships with local industry and business
  • supporting local charities and community groups
  • attending religious and cultural events of all faiths and denominations
  • chairing council meetings
  • receiving local, regional, national and international visitors
  • representing the city at civic functions and engagements

The Historic Role of the Mayor's Office

Wolverhampton's first Mayor, G. B. Thorneycroft, was elected in 1848. This was more than six centuries after the first English Mayor was appointed back in 1189 when The Mayor of London, was appointed by Richard I.

Here is the complete list of former Mayors:
1848-49G.B. Thorneycroft
1849-50G. Robinson
1850-51J.Walker
1851-52W.Warner
1852-53J.Wynn
1853-54J.Neve
1854-55J.Shipton
1855-56Edward Perry
1856-57Edward Perry
1857-58M.Ironmonger
1858-59J.Hartley
1859-60B.Hicklin
1860-61C.Clarke
1861-62G.L. Underhill
1862-63Henry Hartley Fowler
1863-64J.Hawksford
1864-65John Ford
1865-66J. Crowther Smith
1866-67Sir John Morris, kt.
1867-68James Langman
1868-69M.Ironmonger
1869-70Thomas Bantock
1870-71James Walker
1871-72Joseph Ford
1872-73Isaac Jenks
1873-74W.H. Jones
1874-75W.Edwards
1875-76J.C. Major
1876-77S.Dickinson
1877-78D.Kendrick
1878-79John Jones
1879-80John Jones
1880-81John Jones
1881-82Herbert C. Owen
1882-83F.D. Gibbons
1883-84John Brotherton
1884-85John Annan
1885-86Joseph G. Wright
1886-87T. Vincent Jackson
1887-88Joseph Jones
1888-89Frederic Ed. Manby
1889-90John Marston
1890-91John Marston
1891-92James Saunders
1892-93Charles Tertius Mander
1893-94Charles Tertius Mander
1894-95Charles Tertius Mander
1895-96Charles Tertius Mander
1896-97Stephen Craddock
1897-98Alexander McBean
1898-99Price Lewis
1899-00Samuel Theodore Mander
1900Price Lewis
1900-01J. Walton Hamp
1901-02Charles Paulton Plant
1902-03George Rennie Thorne
1903-04Levi Johnson
1904-05R.E.W Berrington
1905-06A. Baldwin Bantock
1906-07A. Baldwin Bantock
1907-08Fred Evans
1908-09Edward Lewis Cullwick
1909Fred Evans
1909-10John Grout
1910-11Charles Thomas Richards
1911-12Thomas William Dickinson
1912-13Thomas William Dickinson
1913-14Frederick Howard Skidmore
1914-15A. Baldwin Bantock
1915-16Arthur Charles Skidmore
1916-17Arthur Charles Skidmore
1917-18John Francis Myatt
1918-19Alfred George Jeffs
1919-20Thomas Austin Henn
1920-21James Thompson
1921-22James Thompson
1922-23Thomas Frost
1923-24Joseph Clark
1924-25Joseph Clark
1925-26Frederick Albert Willcock
1926-27Frederick Albert Willcock
1927-28Albert Edward Wood
1928-29Albert Edward Wood
1929-30Alan Davies
1930-31Joseph Haddock
1931-32John Lewis
1932Joseph Haddock
1932-33Sir Charles Arthur Mander, Bart.
1933-34Bertram Kidson
1934-35Morris Christopher
1935-36James Whittaker
1936-37 Sir Charles Arthur Mander, Bart.
1937-38Richard Ernest Probert
1938-39George Edwin John Luce
1939-40Harry Austin White
1940-41Albert Abraham Beach
1941-42George Bates
1942-43Anacletus Byrne Quinn
1943-44Frederick Stephen Thomas
1944-45Thomas William Phillipson
1945-46William Lawley
1946-47Cyril Bernard Vincent Taylor
1947-48Herbert Edwin Lane
1948-49Herbert Edwin Lane
1949-50Henry Bowdler
1950-51Louis Reginald Guy
1951-52James Beattie
1952-53Harold Thomas Fullwood
1953-54Alice Annie Braybrook
1954-55Leonard James Woolridge
1955-56Frank Mansell
1956-57George Rastall
1957-58Ruby Florence Ilsley
1958-59John Clement Homer
1959-60Norman Frank Bagley
1960-61Harold Mash
1961-62Charles Herbert Davies
1962-63Malcolm Pascal Birch
1963-64Herbert Preece
1964-65Harry Bagley
1965-66Frank Clapham
1966-67Frank Stanley Smith
1967-68Edward Yardley Fullwood
1968-69Robert Campbell
1969-70Stanley Steventon Tatem
1970-71Gerald Anthony Guy
1971-72Francis Victor Law
1972-73Arthur Storer
1973-74Dennis Arthur Birch
1974-75Samuel Herbert Reynolds
1975-76Edward Mitchell
1976-77Arthur Ernest Steventon
1977-78Jessie Emma Beddoes 
1978-79Violet Amy Fletcher
1979-80Ian George Claymore
1980-81Herbert Edwin Lane, OBE
1981-82Ernest William Bold
1982-83John Arthur Morey
1983-84Alfred Christopher Laws
1984-85Stanley Arthur Ledsam
1985-86George Fredrick Howells
1986-87Bishan Dass
1987-88Doreen Mildred Seiboth
1988-89Philip Reginald Richards
1989-90Richard Reynolds
1990John Geraghty
1990Richard Reynolds
1991-92Surjan Singh Duhra
1992-93Raymond Bert Swatman
1993-94Richard Fredrick Whitehouse
1994-95Stanley Arthur Ledsam
1995-96Margaret Mary Benton
1996-97George Fredrick Howells, MBE
1997-98Francis Docherty
1998-99Gwendoline Mary Stafford Good
1999-00Peter Alan Bilson
2000-01Tersaim Singh
2001-02Joyce Noreen Hill
2002-03Robert Hart
2003-04John Jeffery Rowley
2004-05Alan Hart
2005-06Philip Thomas Alexander Bateman, MBE
2006-07John Lamonby Goodfellow Davis
2007-08Trudy Anna Bowen
2008-09Christine Valerie Mills
2009-10Surjan Singh Duhra
2010-11Malcolm  John Gwinnett
2011-12Thomas Herbert Turner
2012-13Christine Valerie Mills
2013-14Milkinder Singh Jaspal
2014-15Michael Arnold Heap
2015-16Ian Brookfield
2016-17Barry Findlay
2017-18Elias Masih Mattu
2018-19Phillip Henry Page
2019-20Claire Darke
2020-21Claire Darke
2021-22Greg Brackenridge
2022-23Sandra Samuels OBE
2023-24Dr Michael Hardacre
2024-25Linda Leach
2025-26Craig Collingswood
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