Councillor Mike Rowley is set to become the new Lord Mayor of Oxford.
The ceremonial role will see Councillor Rowley carry out a wide range of civic engagements during 2024/25, from leading Oxford’s Remembrance service to school visits and charity events.
Councillor Susan Brown, the Leader of Oxford City Council, made the announcement at the Council meeting last night (18 March).
She also announced that Councillor Tiago Corais will be the Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford, and Councillor James Fry – subject to the upcoming election – will be the Sheriff of Oxford for 2024/25.
Mayor making
The Lord Mayor, Deputy and Sheriff will be sworn in at the traditional mayor making ceremony in Oxford Town Hall on Thursday 16 May.
The ceremony will see the outgoing Lord Mayor, Councillor Lubna Arshad, officially step down and hand over their chains of office to Councillor Mike Rowley.
The bells of Carfax Tower will then be rung by the Oxford Society of Change Ringers to commemorate the ceremony.
Councillor Mike Rowley
Councillor Mike Rowley attended Wadham College in Oxford and completed a BA in Law in 2000. He works for Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East.
Councillor Rowley was elected to Oxford City Council in 2010 and represents Barton & Sandhills ward. He chairs the Companies Scrutiny Panel, sits on the Planning Review Committee and is Vice Chair of the Scrutiny Committee.
Councillor Rowley is the first openly gay and neurodivergent Lord Mayor of Oxford.
Lord Mayor of Oxford
The Lord Mayor generally carries out more than 300 engagements each year. These cover a wide range, from Royal visits and leading Oxford’s annual Remembrance Sunday service, to small community group meetings and charity events.
The Lord Mayor also raises money for charity during their year-long term of office. Councillor Rowley has chosen Yellow Submarine, Seesaw and Love Barton to be his Lord Mayor’s charities for 2024/25.
The first recorded Mayor of Oxford is Turchillus, who held the honour between 1122 and 1123. Mayors’ names stretch in an unbroken line until 1962, when the dignity of the Lord Mayor was granted to Oxford by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Comment
"It's a tremendous honour and privilege to be nominated to be Oxford's next Lord Mayor.
“Our city has a great history and continues to lead the way in many respects, having shown over the pandemic the depth of its resources of innovation and solidarity.
“Councillor Lubna Arshad will be a really hard act to follow, but I will do my very best to represent and celebrate the diverse community of the Oxford I love."
Councillor Mike Rowley
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