Lord Mayor of Oxford

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. 

Who is currently the Lord Mayor and Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford?

The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Oxford is Councillor John Goddard.

The Deputy Lord Mayor is Councillor Dee Sinclair.

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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 Lord Mayor's Office using the contact details in the 'Contact Us' menu at the top of the page.

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.

Lord Mayor's Charities

This year the Lord Mayor will be supporting and fund raising for the following charities

Thames Valley & Chiltern Air Ambulance Trust

An independent, charitable trust, which receives no lottery or Central Government funding.  It relies on the generous support given by local residents and businesses in Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.  The Air Ambulance, which is based at RAF Benson,  is crewed by one pilot and two paramedics, and is supported on a regular basis by a small team of doctors, attending both trauma (ie road traffic incidents) and medical emergencies. 

Valerie Taylor Trust

Valerie is a British physiotherapist who visited Bangladesh with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) in 1969. She was appalled at the desperate plight of people paralysed by spinal injury or disease and the fact that they were often left to beg or to die. Valerie committed herself to bringing about a change in the situation she saw. It took ten years of persistence but finally in 1979 she opened the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP).  At the outset the CPR had 4 patients in a disused cement warehouse, the centre now has over 100 in-patient beds. It has a mother and child unit; a hostel and integrated schooling for children with cerebral palsy. In addition to the in-patient services offered by the centre, over 15,000 out-patients are seen every year. There is also an independent living centre for disabled women, which has recently attracted funding from UK-based high street retailer, Marks & Spencer.

I you would like to know more about either trust, or wish to make a donation, please contact the Civic and Members' Services Office via the 'Contact Us' link at the top of this page

Page last reviewed 2 Jul 2010