Lord Mayor of London

The Right Honourable The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayor of the City of London and head of the Corporation of London. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London governs a much larger area known as Greater London. Within the City of London, the Lord Mayor has precedence over other individuals and has various special powers, rights and privileges.

Role

The Lord Mayor is a member of the City of London's governing body, the Corporation of London (incorporated as The Mayor and Commonality and Citizens of the City of London). The Corporation comprises the Court of Aldermen and the Court of Common Council; the former includes only the Aldermen, while the latter includes both Aldermen and Common Councilmen. The Lord Mayor is a member of and presides over both bodies.

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The role of the Lord Mayor is primarily ceremonial, rather than political. He hosts visiting foreign dignitaries; furthermore, he conducts several foreign visits of his own in order to promote the British financial sector. Normally, the Lord Mayor visits European nations assuming the Presidency of the European Union.

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Banquets hosted by the Lord Mayor often serve as opportunities for senior Government figures to make major speeches. At the Lord Mayor's Banquet (held on the same day as the Lord Mayor's Show), the Prime Minister delivers the keynote address. At the Banker's Dinner in June, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers a speech known as the Mansion House Speech, which takes its name from the Lord Mayor's residence. At the Easter Banquet, which is also hosted at Mansion House, a speech is delivered by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Related Topics:
Prime Minister - June - Chancellor of the Exchequer - Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs

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The Lord Mayor performs numerous other functions. He serves as the Chief Magistrate of the City of London, Admiral of the Port of London, Chancellor of City University, President of City of London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, and Trustee of St Paul's Cathedral. The Lord Mayor is also the head of the Commission of Lieutenancy, which represents the Sovereign in the City of London (other counties usually have Lord Lieutenants, as opposed to Commissions), and annually attends the Treloar Trust (named after Sir William Treloar, Lord Mayor in 1906), in Hampshire.

Related Topics:
Admiral - Port of London - Chancellor - City University - St Paul's Cathedral - Lord Lieutenant - Treloar Trust - William Treloar - 1906 - Hampshire

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