Role of Mayor

The Mayor of Council has an important civic and democratic role to play both within Council and throughout the entire Council area. The role is extremely busy and demanding and involves a range of responsibilities.
The Mayor’s key responsibilities are:

• To act as the First Citizen for the Council area
• To represent the Council at civic and ceremonial functions
• To support the local community and strive to achieve benefits for the Council area.

The civic role of the Mayor is a very important element of the Mayors duties. The Mayor is the ‘first Citizen’ and civic figure head for the entire Council area.  The civic aspect of the role includes the attendance at meetings and events both within the local community and at regional government level to lobby for the interests of the Council area. The role provides the opportunity to continually pursue the development of the entire area and bring benefit to the local communities.

Whilst an extremely demanding role, it is a role which brings much job satisfaction.  A significant part of the Mayor’s role involves meeting with local residents and groups from within the Council area. This provides the opportunity for the Mayor to gain an insight into the various projects being undertaken and also issues of concern for the community.  One of the most positive aspects of the role is having knowledge of and recognising the impressive achievements of local individuals and groups.

The Mayor is required to provide effective leadership to the Council to ensure that the corporate objectives of the Council are realised. In carrying out this role they must always demonstrate political neutrality and ensure that the principles of equality and fairness are integral to all actions and policies of Council.

The Mayor’s practical duties associated with Council business include the chairing of Meetings of Council, making a casting vote when there is a tie vote on a decision, and the signing of the annual accounts and Council contracts.