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 Mike Rowley
- The Deputy Lord Mayor is Councillor Tiago Corais
- The Sheriff of Oxford is Councillor James Fry
Lord Mayor of Oxford - Councillor Mike Rowley
Mike Rowley is originally from Stafford, in the deepest Midlands, where he attended the local comprehensive school, but moved to Oxford in 1997 to study and now lives in Headington.
He holds a law degree from Oxford University (Wadham College) and went on to study international Trade Union policy at Ruskin, and now works for Anneliese Dodds, MP for Oxford East.
He has had the honour to represent Barton and Sandhills on Oxford City Council since October 2010, and at various times has served as Cabinet member for leisure, housing, and citizen-focused services, as well as chairing the budget and Council companies scrutiny panels. He was Sheriff of Oxford in 2022-23.
Outside council life Mike enjoys travel, music, reading, hiking and swimming, and visiting Oxford's many excellent pubs and cafes.
He also serves as a trustee of Elmore Community Services, an Oxford-based mental health charity. Mike is the first openly gay and neuro-divergent Lord Mayor of Oxford.
Deputy Lord Mayor of Oxford - Councillor Tiago Corais
Tiago is from Portugal but has lived with his family in Oxford since 2014. He is both a City Councillor and Parish Councillor for Littlemore in Oxford. He was first elected in 2018.
Tiago is a Process & Development Engineer working in the automotive industry and is very interested in innovation.
Like many Oxonians, he is a keen cyclist and believes the most efficient way to get around Oxford is by bike.
Tiago is committed to serving the community and addressing the needs of his constituents. He aims to build a strong spirit of community and to develop a vision for the future with others.
Sheriff of Oxford - Councillor James Fry
James Fry came to Oxford to read Mathematics at New College and took a DPhil in Economics at Nuffield College and became a lecturer at Magdalen College. He then founded a leading consultancy in the economics of agriculture.
James represents Walton Manor ward and was elected to the City Council in 2012.
He chairs several City Council committees, covering Audit, Finance and Budget, as well as community groups, such as the Oxford Canal Festival and the St Margaret’s Area Society.
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 2024-25
The Lord Mayor’s charities for this year are:
SeeSaw provides support for children, young people and their families in Oxfordshire when they have been bereaved or when somebody close to them is terminally ill. Each year SeeSaw provides support for over 500 bereaved children. They also offer support to schools and professionals working with bereaved children and provide online resources accessible to all.
Barton is a council estate at the edge of Oxford ranking in the bottom 20% on the indices of deprivation and in the bottom 10% for Children and Young People’s education. Love Barton is a faith based charity established in 2022 to tackle systemic issues that keep people and families in poverty and to release them to flourish in all areas of life.
Yellow Submarine is an award-winning Oxfordshire charity that believes people with learning disabilities and autism deserve to live life to the full. They offer a variety of services to those with mild to moderate needs including social clubs, activity days, residential holidays and a traineeship. These projects increase confidence and independence in their members as well as provide respite for families and carers.
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.
Contact the Civic Office
Address: Civic Office,Town Hall,
St Aldate’s,
Oxford,
OX1 1BX
