Mayor of Wigan

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). 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 44th and current mayor is Councillor Ronald Conway who was elected by the council general assembly and officially inaugurated on May 25th, 2016. He succeeded Councillor Susan Loudon after serving as the Deputy Mayor of Wigan between 2015 and 2016. The current Mayors Consort is Mrs Janet Conway

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.

The Mayor's Charity Appeal

By tradition, the Mayor of Wigan may choose a charity they wish to support throughout their year in office by charitable engagements and donations. The Mayor may choose to support one charity or may contribute to the support of others. The current Mayors charity for 2016/17 is Wigan and Leigh Hospice. Ron says, "I chose this charity because of the remarkable work they do in serving people from all over the borough, caring for patients, either in their own home or in the Hospice, with dignity and compassion."

Style and Title

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 Ronald Conway