The Mayor, apart from Members of the Royal Family or the Lord Lieutenant of Dorset who represents same, takes precedence over all persons within the Borough including visiting Lord Mayors, Mayors and Town Mayors.
The Mayor is the First Citizen of Bournemouth and represents the Council, all political groups and the people of Bournemouth. He/she is a "public relations officer" for the Town and MUST therefore be NON-POLITICAL AT ALL TIMES during his/her Term in Office.
The Mayor, by virtue of the Office, also presides at the meetings of the Council where it is his/her duty to keep order and to carry out the procedure outlined in the Council's Standing Orders. These set out the lengths of speeches, the procedure regarding the rights of Chairmen of Committees in introducing their Minutes and their right to reply at the conclusion of a debate, and the rules governing Motions.
In addition to Chairing the Full Committee Meetings, held in the Council Chamber every six weeks, the Mayor will:
open a number of Conferences in the Town, extending Civic Welcomes and hosting Civic Wine Receptions for their delegates;
open various functions (school fêtes, new businesses and shops, etc.);
attend a wide variety of events (Open Days, school/college presentations, Annual General Meetings, Dinners, neighbouring Civic events, etc.);
entertain a number of guests in the Mayor's Parlour at the Town Hall (foreign visitors, Civic dignitaries, representatives of local organisations, etc.);
visit many people (schools, rest homes, people celebrating their 100th birthday or Golden Wedding Anniversary, etc.**).
** If a member of your family is celebrating a 40th, 50th or 60th Wedding Anniversary, or will be 100 years old or over, and you would like them to be visited/sent congratulations from the Mayor & Mayoress, you should write to the Mayor (see the "General" page), giving the date and type of the event, the FULL NAMES of the people concerned and your relationship to them, and whether you have arranged any special event to celebrate the occasion. Please give a minimum of three weeks' notice.
If you want Her Majesty The Queen to send a telegram for a 100th Birthday or special Wedding Anniversary, you must write to Buckingham Palace DIRECT giving as much notice as possible:
The letter must be addressed "Dear Sir" and "Yours faithfully" and begin with: "I would be grateful if Her Majesty's attention could be drawn to ....." The Queen must ALWAYS be referred to as "Her Majesty", never "her".
The address for the envelope is:
The Private Secretary to Her Majesty The Queen Buckingham Palace London SW1A 1AALinks: