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In May of each year, a long serving councillor is appointed as the Mayor of Peterborough. Their term of office lasts for one year and runs from May to May.

The Mayor is the first citizen of the city. This means that only HM King Charles III, members of the Royal Family and the Lord Lieutenant take precedence over the Mayor at events in the city.

The role of Mayor

Although the powers of the Mayor have reduced over the years, the role retains its importance.

The Mayor is seen as a symbol of continuity, a recognisable and ever-present factor in people’s experiences, effectively connecting the present with the past. It is also a symbol of an open society as the choice of Mayor is no longer restricted. The first citizen can, and does, come from any class, gender or ethnic background.

The Mayor also has a key democratic role to play. After being chosen and appointed by councillors, they act as a politically impartial chairman of Peterborough City Council, making sure that proper conduct takes place in the Council Chamber during meetings.

Another key role of the Mayor is to act as an ambassador for the city, locally, nationally and internationally. As Peterborough’s first citizen, the Mayor is expected to speak and act for all the diverse communities in the city. The Mayor also takes the lead in highlighting causes and helping members of the community receive the recognition they deserve.

It is probably the Mayor’s civic role that residents are the most familiar with. The Mayor is frequently invited to attend events in the community, such as openings and fundraising events organised by voluntary organisations. Fundraising events are also held for the Mayor’s charities, which the Mayor chooses as the start of the civic year. 

The Mayor and Consort

Councillor Judy Fox was elected as Mayor of Peterborough at the Annual Council meeting on 19 May 2025.

John Fox is Consort for the 2025/26 term of office.

“I am really looking forward to my time as Mayor. The reason I chose Peterborough Area Down’s Syndrome Group is because they are very close to our hearts.

“When I was part of a charity with John called the Rudolf Fund some time ago, we took quite a few children with Down Syndrome on our trips to Disneyland Paris. We have been in touch with them and their parents since then, by doing Mr and Mrs Claus at their Christmas party each year.

“They are a very successful group but are not funded, so have to rely on donations and fundraising events.

" I have chosen Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice as one of my charities because it is close to the hearts of my daughter Rachel and myself. Many residents in Peterborough will have had some connections with them and will know just how much they mean to the families of their loved ones in their time of need."

- Councillor Judy Fox, Mayor of Peterborough

John Fox Consort (left) and Councillor Judy Fox, Mayor of Peterborough (right)

The Deputy Mayor and Mayoress

The Deputy Mayor is Councillor Peter Hiller and his Mayoress is Debbie Hiller.

Invite the Mayor to an event

The Mayor frequently visits a wide variety of different events within the community, from school visits and coffee mornings to formal dinners and ceremonies.

If you would like to invite the Mayor to an event you’re hosting, please visit our invite the Mayor to an event page. You can also find guidance notes for organisers on the same page.

The Mayor's charities

Councillor Fox will support the following charities during her 12 months as Mayor:

  • Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice
  • Peterborough Area Down’s Syndrome Group

Protocol on selection of the Mayor and Deputy Mayor

In May of each year, we compile a list of serving councillors and order them according to their seniority - i.e. the actual number of years served by each councillor. This is regardless of any breaks in their service.

The councillor at the top of the list of seniority will be eligible for the role of Mayor. This is provided that they have not previously served as Mayor.

A councillor may opt to decline the offer of the position of Mayor. If a councillor does accept the role, a proposer will be sought to nominate the councillor at the Annual Council Mayor Making Meeting.

Neither the Leader of the Council nor any Cabinet Member can be elected as Mayor or Deputy Mayor.

The selection of the Deputy Mayor will be undertaken in accordance with the order of seniority list, following the same procedure for the selection of Mayor.

View the protocol on selecting a Mayor in Part 5 Section 8 of our Constitution on the Democracy Peterborough website.

Selection of Mayoress or Mayor's Consort

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor can both choose a Mayoress or a Consort for the year. This is normally their spouse or partner, but can be any person aged 18+. It's not compulsory to have a Mayoress or Consort. The person who becomes Mayor or Deputy Mayor may choose not to appoint anyone to assist them.

Previous Mayors of Peterborough

1874 to 1876 Henry Pearson Gates

1877 Andrew Percival

1878 William Paley MD, JP

1879 and 80 John Core

1881 and 82 John Thompson JP

1883 John Whitwell

1884 William Barford JP

1885 Edward Vergette

1886 William Daniel Nichols JP

1887 Henry Pearson Gates

1888 and 89 Thomas Lawrence Barrett JP

1890 William Beaver JP

1891 and 92 John Henry Beeby JP

1893 Joseph Clifton

1894 William Daniel Nichols JP

1895 Daniel Henry Redhead JP

1896 and 97 John Thompson JP

1898 Joseph Hunting JP

1899 William Beaver JP

1900 John Thomas Miller JP

1901 G C Wentworth-Fitzwilliam DL JP

1902 and 03 George Keeble JP

1904 William Daniel Nichols JP

1905 Daniel Henry Redhead JP

1906 Thomas C Lamplugh JP

1907 Joseph Batten

1908 Thomas Ivatt Slater JP

1909 John Betts Tebbutt

1910 William Cliffe JP

1911 Charles Edward Crawley

1912 Thomas C Lamplugh JP

1913 John Golby Barford JP

1914 Sir Richard Winfrey JP

1915 John William Williamson JP

1916 to 1918 George Nicholls OBE, JP

1919 Charles Tomson Vergette

1920 Walter Riseley

1921 Frank Edwin Hunting

1922 Thomas Crosby Lamplugh JP

1923 and 24 Charles Day

1925 Charles Leonard Fletcher

1926 and 27 John Thomas Fisher JP

1928 Thomas Ivatt Slater JP

1929 Arthur John Edward Craig JP

1930 George Samuel Palmer JP

1931 Matthew Hooke

1932 John Mansfield JP

1933 William Oliver Snowden

1934 Arthur Edwin Fletcher

1935 Arthur Itter MA, B Com

1935 and 36 Arthur Holdich Mellows DL, MA, TD

1937 George Clavering Hall JP

1938 Richard Charles Howard

1939 and 40 Lily Violet Bryant

1941 James Alfred Bartram

1942 and 43 Harry Johnson Farrow

1944 Harry Wilfred Kelley JP

1945 Joseph Algernon Farrow

1946 Albert William Viney MBE

1947 John Edward Swain JP

1948 to May 1949 Edward Victor Martin

1949 to 1950 John Richard Hall JP

1950 to 1951 Harry Ray Horrell

1951 to 1952 George Rowell Chamberlain

1952 to 1953 Mabel Wood JP

1953 to 1954 Arthur Lister Robinson MBE

1954 to 1955 Reginald William North

1955 to 1956 Lady (Gladys Mary) Benstead JP

1956 to 1957 John Walter Setchfield

1957 to 1958 George Alfred Smith

1958 to 1959 Royce William Westcombe MBE, JP

1959 to 1960 Maud Swift

1960 to 1961 John Azor Savage

1961 to 1962 Charles William Swift

1962 to 1963 George Walter Govey

1963 to 1964 Carl Ernest Hall

1964 to 1965 Ernest George Edward Bradley

1965 to 1966 Gordon Tyers

1966 to 1967 Alfred William Clements MM

1967 to 1968 Frank Leonard Mackman

1968 to 1969 Arthur William Leno Adams

1969 to 1970 George Alfred Forster

1970 to 1971 Edward Aaron Hall

1971 to 1972 Dennis William Bracey ChM, FRCS

1972 to 1973 Roy Topley

1973 to 1974 Harold Raymond Wentworth Laxton MA

1974 to 1975 Jack Farrell

1975 to 1976 William Richard Cashmore

1976 to 1977 Edward Ernest Titman

1977 to 1978 Jean Barker

1978 to 1979 Ben Franklin

1979 to 1980 Murdoch McKenzie Charteris MBE, AE

1980 to 1981 Audrey Chalmers

1981 to 1982 Thomas Arthur Gray

1982 Alfred Richard Shelford ACII, FRSA (died November 1982)

1983 Edward John James (to May 1983)

1983 to 1984 Kenneth Aubrey Winfield-Chislett

1984 to 1985 Raymond Palmer JP

1985 to 1986 Robert Edmund Burke

1986 to 1987 Joseph Ernest Hall

1987 to 1988 Rex Eady Perkins JP

1988 to 1989 Constance Margaret Gray

1989 to 1990 Derek John Hedges BA, FSCA

1990 to 1991 Alfred Arthur Sapey

1991 to 1992 Geoffrey Ronald Ridgway BSc CEng

1992 to 1993 Leslie Allan Rimes

1993 to 1994 Kathleen Coppen

1994 to 1995 Roberta Glenys Ewart Day

1995 to 1996 John Frederick White Holdich OBE

1996 to 1997 Mohammed Ayoub Choudhary

1997 to 1998 Yvonne Lowndes

1998 to 1999 Mary Beatrice Rainey B.Ed (Hons)

1999 to 2000 John Ernest Graham Bartlett

2000 to 2002 Raymond Arthur Pobgee MBE DL

2002 to 2003 Clifford Stanley Horace Sneesby

2003 to 2004 David Raines

2004 to 2005 Raja Akhtar

2005 John Ray Horrell CBE (died December 2005)

2006 David Thorpe (to May 2006)

2006 to 2007 Michael Burton OBE FRIN

2007 to 2008 Marion Todd

2008 to 2009 Patricia Nash MBE

2009 to 2010 Irene Walsh

2010 to 2011 Keith Sharp

2011 to 2012 Paula Thacker MBE

2012 to 2013 George Simons

2013 to 2014 June Stokes

2014 to 2015 David Over

2015 to 2016 John Peach

2016 to 2017 David Sanders

2017 to 2018 John Fox

2018 to 2019 Christopher Ash

2019 to 2021 Gul Nawaz

2021 to 2022 Stephen Lane

2022 to 2023 Alan Dowson

2023 to 2024 Nick Sandford

2024 to 2025 Marco Cereste