The Lord Mayor is the first Citizen of the City of Oxford. The first recorded Mayor of Oxford is Laurence Kepeharme, 1205-1209 and Mayors’ names stretch in an unbroken line until 1962 when the dignity of Lord Mayor was granted to Oxford by Queen Elizabeth II. For a full list of past Lord Mayors of Oxford, please visit Wikipedia.
Lord Mayor, Deputy Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Oxford
- The Lord Mayor of Oxford is Councillor Chewe Munkonge
- The Deputy Lord Mayor is Councillor Louise Upton
- The Sheriff of Oxford is Councillor Linda Smith
Lord Mayor of Oxford - Councillor Chewe Munkonge
Councillor Munkonge was born in Zambia and is the first Black person to hold the office of Lord Mayor of Oxford. He moved to the United Kingdom in 2003 and settled in Oxford in 2008. He holds a MBA from Oxford Brookes University and has a professional background in finance and administration. He was first elected as City Councillor for Quarry and Risinghurst in 2014 and served as Cabinet Member for a Healthy and Fairer Oxford and as the Council’s Small Business Champion. From 2019 to 2025 he was a Governor at The Swan School. Outside of his civic duties, Councillor Munkonge is devoted family man; he is married to Carol and together they have three secondary school-aged children. He enjoys music, plays football, and is a keen Oxford United fan.
Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford - Councillor Louise Upton
Councillor Upton was educated at Grove Comprehensive School, Market Drayton, Shropshire. She obtained a BA (Hons) in Biochemistry from the University of Oxford (New College) and a PhD in Cell Physiology from University College London. She lived and worked in Paris for 3 years before returning to the UK to continue working as a research scientist at te University of Oxford. She teaches neuroscience to medicine and psychology students. Louise is the Council’s Champion for Cycling and was Lord Mayor of Oxford in 2025 to 2026.
Sheriff of Oxford - Councillor Linda Smith
Born and raised in Oxford, Linda grew up on the Cutteslowe estate and attended Cherwell School. She moved to London as a student and remained in the capital while working for the Labour Party and serving as a Hackney councillor. She moved back home to Oxford and was elected to Oxford City Council in 2014. Linda has represented Blackbird Leys ward and Lye Valley ward and has held cabinet responsibility for Housing, Homelessness, Communities, Leisure, Parks and Sport.
Lord Mayor's duties
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 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 the Lord Mayor is chosen
The Lord Mayor must be a serving councillor and is chosen on length of service. The Lord Mayor is usually elected annually in May when all city councillors meet together at the Annual Meeting of Council. Their term of office is for one year, during which time he/she also continues their ward duties. Councillors can only serve as Lord Mayor once.
Due to the impact of the pandemic, the annual ceremony in May 2020 was cancelled. It was then agreed by full council that the terms of both the outgoing and incoming Lord Mayors would be extended to 18 months.
Mayoral Invitations
The Lord Mayor of Oxford is very keen to visit all aspects of the community during their term of office. If you have an event you would like the Lord Mayor to attend, please contact the Civic Office Holders' Executive Assistant or use the form below.
Send an invitation to the Lord Mayor
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 note we require a minimum of four weeks notice of your event. Invitations received at short notice may not be considered. Thank you for your cooperation.
Lord Mayor's Engagements
The Lord Mayor’s Supported Organisations for 2026 to 2027
The Lord Mayor’s charity for this year is Sobell House Hospice.
Sobell House Hospice has been providing compassionate care to the people of Oxfordshire since 1976. Every year, the centre cares for over 4,000 people with a life-limiting illness. From the moment someone is told the devastating news they have an incurable illness until the end of their life, Sobell House is there to support them. Their care also extends to family and friends, who face the life-changing loss of a loved one.
Visit Sobell House Hospice website.
Make a Donation
Donations towards the Lord Mayor’s fundraising efforts are always welcomed and there are many ways you can pledge your support.
Text to Donate
Text the word LORDMAYOR followed by the amount you wish to give to 70085 e.g. ‘LORDMAYOR 10’ to donate £10.
Texts cost your donation amount plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to donate but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text LORDMAYORNOINFO followed by your donation amount to 70085.
Donate via BACS
Donations can be made via bank transfer to Account Number 61173455, Sort Code 08-90-38.
Send us a Cheque
Cheques should be made payable to Lord Mayor of Oxford Charity Trust and can be posted to Civic Office, Town Hall, St Aldate’s, Oxford, OX1 1BX.
Thank you for your support.
Contact Us
If you would like to help the Lord Mayor of Oxford in this work or get involved in any of these charities or donate money to them please contact us.
