Mayoralty

Mayor of South Ribble

Councillor Chris Lomax is the Mayor of South Ribble.

He was voted in as Mayor at a meeting of the Full Council on Wednesday 24 May 2023.

He will serve in this post until May 2024.

The Mayoress is Mrs Kim Lomax, his wife.

The Deputy Mayor is Councillor Peter Mullineaux, and the Deputy Mayoress is Mrs Margaret McManus.

Being Mayor of South Ribble is a prestigious role. Here you can find out what the Mayor does and how the borough's first citizen is chosen.

The role of the Mayor

The Mayor is South Ribble's first citizen and represents the borough at various community events and at civic and ceremonial occasions. The Mayor also chairs full council meetings. Most Mayors also use their time in office to raise money for charity by organising fundraising events.

The Deputy Mayor

The Mayor is supported by a Deputy Mayor who represents and stands in for the Mayor when he/she is unable to attend functions and events.

How the Mayor is chosen

Every year, at the council's annual meeting in May, a new Mayor is formally elected into office and serves as Mayor for 1 year.

Mayor Charities

The three charities which Mayor Councillor Lomax is supporting are:

Mayor information

The borough of South Ribble was formed in 1974, incorporating Walton-le-Dale Urban District, Leyland Urban District Council and Preston Rural District Council.

The mayor is the first citizen of the borough and has precedence within the borough boundaries over all except Royalty and the Lord Lieutenant.

The mayor has this title by virtue of the Local Government Act 1972 and the grant of the Royal Charter conferring borough status on the district. The deputy mayor has no equivalent status.

The mayor represents the council on civic occasions and visits. If the council is hosting an event the mayor would normally receive guests. In his/her absence the deputy mayor performs this function.

The mayor is the recognised face of the council and is expected to promote the borough when attending a wide range of functions and occasions.

The role of mayor is not political, and incumbents are advised not to enter into debates of a political nature while on duty.

Mayoral Chain

Based on generally accepted custom, the mayoral chain is worn:

Whenever the mayor is conducting a council meeting
At civic events organised by the borough of South Ribble
At functions within the borough where the mayor is the guest of an organisation
Whenever royalty is present
At functions outside the borough if this is agreed in advance with the mayor of the borough where the function is to be held.

The mayor does not wear the chain:

At neighbourhood forums, working parties, informal meetings and briefings
At any event not scheduled on the weekly engagement sheet.

Events and fundraisers

Apart from formal civic engagements, the mayor holds regular events throughout the year to raise money for their nominated charities which anyone can buy tickets to attend. These can include concerts, banquets and days at the races, and booking is usually essential as they are always extremely popular.