About the Mayor

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 Mayoress

Councillor Nick Sandford was elected as Mayor of Peterborough at the Annual Council meeting on 22 May 2023.

Alderman Bella Saltmarsh is Mayoress for the 2023/24 term of office.

Mayor Cllr Nick Sandford is on the left wearing mayoral robes and chain. Mayoress Alderman Bella Saltmarsh is on the right.
Cllr Nick Sandford and Alderman Bella Saltmarsh, Mayor and Mayoress of Peterborough

Councillor Nick Sandford was elected as Mayor of Peterborough at the Annual Council meeting on 22 May 2023. He previously served a year as Deputy Mayor.

Cllr Sandford originates from Huddersfield, has a degree in Biochemistry from Merton College, Oxford, and moved to Peterborough in 1984. He worked in financial services for ten years and then for the Woodland Trust for 28 years before retiring in June 2022.

Cllr Sandford was first elected to the City Council in 1996 as councillor for the Walton ward and has 27 years of continuous service. He has represented Paston and Walton ward since 2016.

Cllr Sandford has a strong interest in environmental and transport issues and has served on many council committees covering these topics, as well as the Constitution and Ethics Committee and the Financial Sustainability Working Group.

In the wider community, Cllr Sandford organises fundraising events for his local church and supports various local sports clubs, having a particular interest in cricket.

The Deputy Mayor and Consort

The Deputy Mayor is Councillor Judy Fox and her Consort is Councillor John Fox.

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 Sandford will focus on promoting health and wellbeing. His chosen charities are:

  • Deaf Blind UK
  • East Anglian Air Ambulance
  • MAGPAS
  • Peterborough Environmental City Trust (PECT)
  • Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice

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