The Council elects the Mayor and Deputy Mayor at each Annual Meeting of the Council. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor cannot preside at their own election and must not be Executive Cabinet Members.
In the absence of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor will undertake their duties and responsibilities. In the absence of both the Mayor and the Deputy Mayor, Members will elect a Chair for the meeting concerned by a simple majority vote. The person presiding at the meeting may exercise any power or duty of the Mayor for that meeting.
The Mayor has the following roles:
- As First Citizen of the Borough, to represent the Council at civic or ceremonial events, whether organised by the Council or some other body.
- To promote public involvement with the Borough and the Council as a whole, in partnership with the Executive Leader, and act as a focal point for the local community.
- When presiding over meetings of the Council, the Mayor will:
- support the tradition of political neutrality expected of the holder of the office
- uphold and promote the purposes of this Constitution, interpret its provisions and give rulings on points of order (in consultation with the Monitoring Officer)
- conduct meetings in such a way that its business is carried out efficiently having regard to the rights of all Members and the interests of the community
- ensure that the Council meeting is a forum for the debate of matters of concern to the local community and a place at which Members are able to hold the Executive and committee Chairs to account