The Lord Mayor of the City of London

The City of London is one of the world’s leading international finance centres. As head of the City of London Corporation, which provides business and local government services to the City, the Lord Mayor of London's principal role today is ambassador for all UK-based financial and professional services. The Lord Mayor of London is not the Mayor of (Greater) London.

Promoting UK-based financial and professional services

The Lord Mayor is elected for one year and the position is unpaid and apolitical. It is an exceptionally demanding role. The Lord Mayor spends some 90 days abroad and addresses some 10,000 people face-to-face each month (making around 800 speeches a year).  Read more about the Lord Mayor's international business role, and his overseas visit programme here.

The Lord Mayor listens to City businesses and advises the Government of the day on what is needed to help the financial services sector to function well. The Lord Mayor frequently travels to represent the City; and is treated overseas as a Cabinet-level Minister. On average, the Lord Mayor will meet one head of state a month and will meet a prime minister or finance minister each week to discuss financial services, often in conjunction with senior City business representatives. The Lord Mayor lives in the Mansion House for the Mayoral year. Read more about the Lord Mayor's role in London and how to become Lord Mayor.

Head of the City of London Corporation

The Lord Mayor supports the work of the City of London Corporation promoting the financial services industry in the UK. This is a reflection of the importance of this area of business activity for the UK economy as well as the importance the organisation attaches to its electorate - which includes City workers! The Lord Mayor also supports the City of London's other responsibilities, from providing excellent services to the local community, to maintaining parks, museums and arts spaces around London, and schools in neighbouring boroughs. The Lord Mayor presides over the City of London's governing bodies – the Court of Aldermen and the Court of Common Council.

• Other roles include:

• Chief Magistrate of the City of London
• http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/CrimeJusticeAndTheLaw/Becomingamagistrate/DG_071384
• Admiral of the Port of London; http://www.pla.co.uk/ 
• Chancellor of City University; http://www.city.ac.uk/
• President of the City of London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association; http://www.reserve-forces-london.org.uk/
• Trustee of St Paul's Cathedral; http://www.stpauls.co.uk/ 
• Close links with the Livery Companies of London 
• He also presides over Her Majesty's Commission of Lieutenancy for the City of London http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lord-Lieutenant
  

Read more about: 

• Philanthropy, CSR and Lord Mayors
• Visit the Lord Mayor's Appeal website
• How the City works (elections etc)
• A Typical Day for the Lord Mayor in London
• A Typical Day for the Lord Mayor Overseas
• History of the Government of the City of London
• History of the Mayoralty.
• Sheriffs of the City of London and their relation to the Lord Mayor.
• See the job and person specifications for the Lord Mayor, Sheriffs and Members of the City of London Corporation.

To see other business photographs of the Lord Mayor visit the Picture Library.

To contact the Lord Mayor, email or write to him at Mansion House.

Lord Mayor's Show

Each year the new Lord Mayor takes part in one of the most ancient and colourful of London's traditions.

• Read more about the Lord Mayor's Show

• Legal notices
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