The Lord Mayor is the first Citizen of the City of Oxford. The first recorded Mayor of Oxford is Turchillus, 1122-1123, and mayors' names stretch in an unbroken line until 1962 when the dignity of Lord Mayor was granted to Oxford by Queen Elizabeth ll.
Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Oxford
The Lord Mayor is Councillor Mohammed Abbasi.
The Deputy Lord Mayor is Councillor Elise Benjamin.
The Sheriff of Oxford is Councillor Delia Sinclair.
What are the duties of the Lord Mayor?
The Lord Mayor represents the Council at civic and ceremonial events. He/she spends a great deal of time promoting the City, the key initiatives of the City Council and supporting a wide range of Oxford based voluntary and other organisations.
The Lord Mayor generally carries out in excess of 300 engagements each year. These engagements cover a wide spectrum of events from high profile Royal visits and leading the City's annual Remembrance Sunday service, to small community group meetings and charity events.
The Lord Mayor also chairs meetings of full council.
The post of Lord Mayor of Oxford is different to that of the Mayor of London in that it is a ceremonial post carrying no political power. The political head of the City Council is the Leader of the Council.
How is the Lord Mayor Chosen?
The Lord Mayor is elected annually in May when all city councillors meet together at the Annual Meeting of Council. The Lord Mayor must be a councillor and is chosen on length of service. Each Lord Mayor's term of office is for one year, during which time he/she also continues their ward duties.
Mayoral Invitations
The Lord Mayor welcomes invitations to attend events, no matter how small or large. If you have an event you would like the Lord Mayor to attend, please contact the Civic Office Holders' PA on 01865 252414 or Email us.
Unfortunately, due to demand, it is not possible for the Lord Mayor to attend every event to which he/she is invited. In these circumstances, it is generally possible for the Deputy Lord Mayor or the Sheriff of Oxford to attend instead.
Please view our Civic Engagements page to see the Lord Mayor's upcoming events.
Help Raise Money for Lord Mayor's Charities
Arts at the Old Fire Station and Asylum Welcome are being supported this year.
Arts at the Old Fire Station is a charity and social enterprise in the heart of Oxford, offering a range of performances and exhibitions for everyone, support for emerging artists and enterprising ways to sustain and develop art as a business.
Arts at the Old Fire Station have a shop selling original artwork, a Gallery with a wide range of exhibitions, a Theatre offering music and drama, a Studio for all kinds of dance and workshops for artists to make work. They also have space to hire for classes, rehearsals and meetings.
They share the building with Crisis Skylight Oxford – a training centre offering creative and formal learning opportunities to homeless and vulnerably housed people and a dedicated employment service which helps them find and keep jobs. The Crisis Skylight Café provides on-the-job training, as well as great city centre food and drink to the wider public.
Arts at the Old Fire Station are doing more together than simply sharing a building. The two charities have a shared vision for this new hub of creativity in the centre of Oxford. Creativity plays a central role in the drive to end homelessness with high quality arts activities and facilities giving confidence and opportunities. The public spaces in the building are for everyone and the fabulous artwork in the foyer embodies what they are about. It was funded by Oxford City Council and commissioned from two local artists who worked with a group of homeless people to create a stunning permanent installation with a key message: “Change – when patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.”
Asylum Welcome supports refugees, asylum seekers and immigration detainees in Oxford and Oxfordshire. Their volunteers, members, supporters and staff share values based on a common humanity and social justice. Together, they work to reduce poverty, suffering and social isolation, and to enable asylum seekers and refugees to live with the respect and dignity to which they are entitled.
Asylum Welcome provides free, confidential information, help and guidance for refugees, asylum seekers and immigration detainees in Oxford and Oxfordshire. They are an independent charity and not a government agency.
The charity provides information and advice about the social, legal and health services provided by the various government bodies and other agencies.
- Advice and services for destitute asylum seekers and refugees
- Offer a range of services, including regular volunteer visits for detainees at Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre
- An education advice service, help with finding academic and vocational classes and one to one English language classes.
Asylum Welcome strive to improve conditions for asylum seekers, refugees and immigration detainees in oxford through their work to raise awareness and campaign for change. The charity provide speakers to talk to Oxfordshire schools, organisations groups about refugee and asylum issues.
Please visit their websites for more details.
Contact Us
If you would like to help the Lord Mayor of Oxford in this work or get involved in either of these two charities or donate money to them please contact the Civic Office Holders' PA on 01865 252414 or Email us.
