16 December, 2024
Wellington has a Mayor and a Deputy Mayor who are elected by a vote of all Councillors each year at the Council’s annual meeting in May.
The Mayor chairs the Council’s monthly meetings and is a de facto member of every committee. The Deputy Mayor, as the title implies, deputises for the Mayor in their absence, and by convention becomes the Mayor when the role falls vacant. The Mayor and Deputy Mayor represent the Council at civic occasions in and outside of the town, such as the annual Remembrance Day service. They are also the face of Wellington at outside events, such as when the Mayor travelled to Portugal to represent the town at the annual Torres Vedras Carnival in 2020, celebrating the Iberian community’s links with the Duke of Wellington, who saved them from Napoleon’s armies in the Peninsular War of the early 1800s.
In recent times, it has become common for the Mayor to be invited to perform the official openings of local events and campaigns, and of new shops and businesses, and also to visit charities and other voluntary groups to see their work. To make a request for the Mayor to attend an occasion, please telephone or email the office with the date, time, and a description of the event.
