Mayor of Wigan

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.

The Worshipful
Mayor of Wigan
Arms of Wigan Borough Council
Incumbent
Kevin Anderson (50th Mayor of Wigan)
since 25 May 2023
AppointerGeneral Assembly of the Wigan Council
Term length1 year
Inaugural holderRobert Matthew Lyons
FormationWigan Council Constitution
1974
DeputyDeputy Mayor of Wigan
Debbie Parkinson
WebsiteOffice of the Mayor

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
Reference styleThe Mayor of Wigan
Spoken styleMr, Mayor
Alternative styleCouncillor

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".

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

List of mayors of Wigan

(note: * = deceased)

No. Mayor Term
1 Robert Matthew Lyons* 1974–1975
2 George Macdonald* 1975–1976
3 Joseph Albert Eckersley* 1976–1977
4 Thomas Gerard Morgan* 1977–1978
5 Leonard Sumner* 1978–1979
6 Harry Milligan* 1979–1980
7 William Charles Priest France* 1980–1981
8 James Bridge* 1981–1982
9 Thomas Jones* 1982–1983
10 Thomas Isherwood* 1983–1984
11 Peter Hull* 1984–1985
12 George Alfred Lockett* 1985–1986
13 Jack Sumner* 1986–1987
14 James Jones* 1987–1988
15 David Norris Caley* 1988–1989
16 Audrey Bennett 1989–1990
17 Ronald McAllister.* 1990–1991
18 John Horrocks* 1991–1992
19 Arthur Wright* 1992–1993
20 Joseph Clarke* 1993–1994
21 William Stanley Simmons* 1994–1995
22 Norman Bernard Holt* 1995–1996
23 Anthony Bernard Coyle* 1996–1997
24 Kenneth Pye* 1997–1998
25 Samuel Little* 1998–1999
26 (part) William Smith* 1999–2000
27 (part) Evelyne Smith 1999–2000
28 Joan Hurst* 2000–2001
29 John E. Hilton 2001–2002
30 Geoffrey Roberts 2002–2003
31 Wilfred Brogan* 2003–2004
32 John Hilton 2004–2005
33 Brian Jarvis 2005–2006
34 Eunice Smethurst 2006–2007
35 John O'Brien 2007–2008
36 Rona Winkworth* 2008–2009
37 Mark Aldred 2009–2010
38 Michael Winstanley 2010–2011
39 Joy Birch 2011–2012
40 Myra Whiteside 2012–2013
41 Billy Rotherham 2013–2014
42 Phyllis Cullen 2014–2015
43 Susan Loudon 2015–2016
44 Ronald Conway 2016–2017
45 Bill Clarke 2017–2018
46 Susan Greensmith 2018–2019
47 Stephen Dawber 2019–2021
48 Yvonne Klieve 2021–2022
49 Marie Morgan 2022–2023
50 Kevin Anderson Incumbent

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