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