Mayor of Wigan
| The Worshipful Mayor of Wigan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Style |
Madam Mayor or alternatively Councillor |
| Appointer | General Assembly of the Wigan Council |
| Term length | 1 year |
| Inaugural holder | Robert Matthew Lyons |
| Formation |
Wigan Council Constitution 1974 |
| Deputy |
Deputy Mayor of Wigan Councillor |
| Website | Office of the Mayor |
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.
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. The current Mayor's Consort is Allen Greensmith, the husband of Mayor Sue Greensmith [1].
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).[2] 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.
Current Mayor
The 46th and current Mayor is Councillor Sue Greensmith, who was elected by the council general assembly and officially inaugurated on 25 May 2018. She succeeded Councillor Bill Clarke, who served from 25 May 2017 to 25 May 2018.
Mayor Greensmith was born in Leigh and went to Bedford Church Primary School and Manchester Road High School. During her career, Mayor Greensmith trained as a hairdresser and is a lay person with St. Peter's Church, delivering home communion. She is also a school Governor of two schools in Wigan Borough and has one child, Deborah, with her husband of 50 years, Allen. She first became a councillor in 2009, representing the Leigh West ward on the Council, currently alongside Cllr Peter Smith, Baron Smith of Leigh and Cllr Myra Whiteside [3]. Her current attendance record for council meetings and meetings of committees stands at around 89%. Mayor Greensmith sits on the Honorary Aldermen Nominations Committee.
Succession and Deputy Mayor
The Deputy Mayor of Wigan is elected by the council assembly as second citizen who assists the elected Mayor and Mayoress in their duties. The deputy mayor is also first in succession to the mayoralty.
Charity Appeal
Traditionally the Mayor of Wigan can choose one or more charities to support throughout their year in office. For 2018 the Mayor has chose Derian House, a hospice that gives support to families of children with life shortening conditions.[4]
Style and Title
| Styles of The Mayor of Wigan | |
|---|---|
|
| |
| Reference style | The Mayor of Wigan |
| Spoken style | Madam Mayor |
| Alternative style | Councillor |
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 Susan Greensmith
List of Mayors of Wigan
(note: * = deceased)
| No. | Mayor | Term |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Matthew Lyons* | 1974–1975 |
| 2 | George Macdonald J.P. D.L* | 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 J.P.* | 1983–1984 |
| 11 | Peter Hull* | 1984–1985 |
| 12 | George Alfred Lockett* | 1985–1986 |
| 13 | Jack Sumner J.P.* | 1986–1987 |
| 14 | James Jones* | 1987–1988 |
| 15 | David Norris Caley J.P.* | 1988–1989 |
| 16 | Audrey Bennett | 1989–1990 |
| 17 | Ronald McAllister J.P.* | 1990–1991 |
| 18 | John Horrocks J.P.* | 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 O.B.E J.P. D.L.* | 1996–1997 |
| 24 | Kenneth Pye* | 1997–1998 |
| 25 | Samuel Little* | 1998–1999 |
| 26 | (part) William Smith J.P.* | 1999–2000 |
| 27 | (part) Evelyne Smith | 1999–2000 |
| 28 | Joan Hurst* | 2000–2001 |
| 29 | John E. Hilton J.P. | 2001–2002 |
| 30 | Geoffrey Roberts | 2002–2003 |
| 31 | Wilfred Brogan B.E.M* | 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 | incumbent |
References