Lord Mayor facts for kids

John Stuttard, Lord Mayor of London during the 2006 Lord Mayor's Show

The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.

United Kingdom

In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is a ceremonial position. This means the person is not in charge of the day to day work of the city, but represents the city at important events. These positions are given to a person by letters patent, which are a special letter from the monarch.

Commonwealth of Nations

• In Australia it is a political position, which means people vote for people to take the position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong.
• In Canada, the only town with a Lord Mayor is Niagara-on-the-Lake, as recognition of its role as the first Capital of Upper Canada.
• In the Malaysian federal capital Kuala Lumpur (Federal territory separated from Selangor, since 1 February 1974) established on 1 February 1972

Ireland

• In the Republic of Ireland, there are the Lord Mayor of Dublin and Lord Mayor of Cork which are symbolic titles as in the United Kingdom.

Other countries

• In Denmark, Overborgmester, is the title of the highest mayor of Denmark's capital city, Copenhagen.
• In Germany, Oberbürgermeister, is the title of the mayors of large, often county-free cities. As in Australia, Germany's mayors are the working leaders of their cities. The mayor in the three German city-states is the same as a Ministerpräsident (head of government of one of Germany's constitutive States). These mayors are called Regierender Bürgermeister (Governing Mayor) in Berlin, and Erster Bürgermeister (First Mayor) in Hamburg.
• In Finland, the head city manager of the capital, Helsinki, is given the title ylipormestari meaning "high mayor". This title is used more than the official title of the office, kaupunginjohtaja. This tradition is almost the same as the Lord Mayors in other countries.
• In Romania and Moldova, the mayors of the capitals (Bucharest and Chişinău, are named Primar General which means General Mayor. The name is ceremonial and it has no higher powers than mayors of other cities.

Images for kids

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  Letters patent granting lord mayoralty to Oxford.