Mayor of Wigan


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.

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. 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 47th and current Mayor is Councillor Stephen Dawber, who was elected by the council general assembly and officially inaugurated on 22 May 2019. He succeeded Councillor Sue Greensmith, who served from 25 May 2018 to 22 May 2019. Mayor Dawber's chosen consort is his son, Oliver.

Succession and Deputy Mayor

The Deputy Mayor of Wigan is elected by the council assembly as second citizen who assists the elected Mayor and their consort in their duties. The deputy mayor is also first in succession to the mayoralty. The current deputy mayor is Councillor Michael McLoughlin.

Charity Appeal

Traditionally the Mayor of Wigan can choose one or more charities to support throughout their year in office.

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 Stephen Dawber

List of Mayors of Wigan

No.MayorTerm
1Robert Matthew Lyons*1974–1975
2George Macdonald J.P. D.L*1975–1976
3Joseph Albert Eckersley*1976–1977
4Thomas Gerard Morgan*1977–1978
5Leonard Sumner*1978–1979
6Harry Milligan*1979–1980
7William Charles Priest France*1980–1981
8James Bridge*1981–1982
9Thomas Jones*1982–1983
10Thomas Isherwood J.P.*1983–1984
11Peter Hull*1984–1985
12George Alfred Lockett*1985–1986
13Jack Sumner J.P.*1986–1987
14James Jones*1987–1988
15David Norris Caley J.P.*1988–1989
16Audrey Bennett1989–1990
17Ronald McAllister J.P.*1990–1991
18John Horrocks J.P.*1991–1992
19Arthur Wright*1992–1993
20Joseph Clarke*1993–1994
21William Stanley Simmons*1994–1995
22Norman Bernard Holt*1995–1996
23Anthony Bernard Coyle O.B.E J.P. D.L.*1996–1997
24Kenneth Pye*1997–1998
25Samuel Little*1998–1999
26 William Smith J.P.*1999–2000
27 Evelyne Smith1999–2000
28Joan Hurst*2000–2001
29John E. Hilton J.P.2001–2002
30Geoffrey Roberts2002–2003
31Wilfred Brogan B.E.M*2003–2004
32John Hilton2004–2005
33Brian Jarvis2005–2006
34Eunice Smethurst2006–2007
35John O'Brien2007–2008
36Rona Winkworth*2008–2009
37Mark Aldred2009–2010
38Michael Winstanley2010–2011
39Joy Birch2011–2012
40Myra Whiteside2012 - 2013
41Billy Rotherham2013 - 2014
42Phyllis Cullen2014 - 2015
43Susan Loudon2015 - 2016
44Ronald Conway2016 - 2017
45Bill Clarke2017–2018
46Susan Greensmith2018-2019
47Stephen Dawberincumbent