Mayor of Wrexham
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The mayor of Wrexham is the civic figurehead and first citizen of the city of
Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...
, and
Wrexham County Borough Wrexham County Borough ( cy, Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam) is a county borough, with city status, in the north-east of Wales. It borders England to the east and south-east, Powys to the south-west, Denbighshire to the west and Flintshire to the ...
in the
north North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north ...
of
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
. The position is elected by members of
Wrexham County Borough Council Wrexham County Borough Council () is the governing body for Wrexham County Borough, a principal area in north Wales, covering Wrexham and the surrounding area. History Elections take place every five years. The Labour Party held power on the ...
at their annual meeting, and today, holders of the position mainly serve a one-year term. The position is currently held by Councillor Brian Cameron of Whitegate, accompanied by Mayoress Kerry Cameron.


Background

Before the establishment of the position in 1857, the then town of Wrexham was largely administered by the manorial courts of the
gentry Gentry (from Old French ''genterie'', from ''gentil'', "high-born, noble") are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. Word similar to gentle imple and decentfamilies ''Gentry'', in its widest c ...
and parish
Vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...
. The manorial courts became overwhelmed with the increasing local government responsibilities placed on them, with the Vestry increasingly adding secular matters to their originally religious operations to compensate the manorial courts. By 1848, concerns over the system of various local government in managing the growing town's sanitary conditions, in particular the public health threat of cholera, led to locals launching a petition to the Privy Council in February 1857 for the town to be incorporated. On 23 September 1857, the town was granted a
Charter of Incorporation A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...
, spanning the two
township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...
s of the town, Wrexham Abbot and Wrexham Regis, as well as part of Esclusham Below. This charter lead to the forming of the borough of Wrexham, with a
borough council A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle A ...
(a
corporation A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and ...
) and a position of mayor under the terms of the Municipal Corporations Act 1835. The position of mayor of the borough of Wrexham was first occupied by Thomas Edgworth. In 1974, the post of Mayor of Wrexham Borough Council, was superseded by Mayor of Wrexham Maelor Borough Council within Clwyd. Clwyd itself was abolished in 1996, following the enactment of the
Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which amended the Local Government Act 1972 to create the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as ...
, with the position transferred to the newly established Wrexham County Borough Council, the council of the newly formed Wrexham County Borough. The mayor wears the "Mayor's Chain", dating to 1872. There are equivalent chains for the Mayoress, Deputy Mayor, and Deputy Mayoress. A Ceremonial mace is carried in front of the mayor in civic proceedings, and dates back to 1866. Wrexham became a city in September 2022.


Appointment

The Mayor of Wrexham, as well as the Deputy Mayor of Wrexham, is elected by members of Wrexham County Borough Council at their annual meeting. Presently, the position is usually held for one year for the appointed councillor, although past mayors have held the post for more than two years.


Role

The mayor is the First Citizen of Wrexham County Borough and a figurehead for the council. Their position is to represent the entire county borough, acting as a link between the council and citizens, and symbolically represent continuity, an open society (by elected irrespective of class, gender, or ethnicity), and a figure in times of crisis, tragedy or triumph. Administratively, the mayor presides over council meetings and at civic functions, and acts as a
tiebreaker In games and sports, a tiebreaker or tiebreak is used to determine a winner from among players or teams that are tied at the end of a contest, or a set of contests. General operation In matches In some situations, the tiebreaker may consi ...
in the event of equal votes in the council. They have precedence at any function within the county borough, including over government ministers, MPs and MSs, but except in the presence of the
Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power i ...
, British royal family, or the
Lord Lieutenant of Clwyd This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant for Clwyd. The office was created on 1 April 1974. *Brigadier Hugh Salusbury Kynaston Mainwaring, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., T.D. 1 April 1974 – 23 November 1976 (formerly Lord Lieutenant ...
. During their one-year term, the mayor is expected to contribute to five formal civic events through the year. The five events being; the council's annual meeting, civic visit to Church,
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Reunion Weekend, a charity ball, and the annual remembrance service. Outside these more formal events, the mayor is expected to be attending 400 other engagements. Each mayor nominates a charity or charities to receive funds that have been fundraised during their term. The mayor may also request donations to other causes.


Heraldry

The Wrexham County Borough
Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
is inherited from Wrexham Maelor, which is itself derived from the two authorities preceding Wrexham Maelor, the borough of Wrexham and Wrexham Rural District.


List of mayors

The current mayor for the 2022/2023 term is Councillor Brian Cameron of Whitegate since 24 May 2022 and the mayoress is Kerry Cameron. Previous deputy mayors are promoted to mayor the following year by convention in Wrexham, with Cameron serving as deputy mayor for the 2021/2022 term. A list of the mayors of Wrexham County Borough Council and its predecessor councils is present on th
council's website


See also

*
Mayors in Wales In Wales, the office of Mayor or Lord Mayor (respectively in Welsh ''Maer'' and ''Arglwydd Faer'') had long been ceremonial posts, with little or no duties attached to it. Traditionally mayors have been elected by town, borough and city council ...


References

{{Wrexham *Wrexham Politics of Wrexham History of Wrexham County Borough