Editing Mayor (section)

===United Kingdom===
{{anchor|England|Scotland|Wales}}{{further|Mayors in England|Mayors in Wales}}
In modern England and Wales, the position of mayor descends from the feudal lord's [[bailiff]] or [[Reeve (England)|reeve]] (''see [[borough]]''). The [[chief magistrate]] of [[London]] bore the title of [[portreeve]] for considerably more than a century after the [[Norman Conquest]]. This official was elected by popular choice, a privilege secured from [[John, King of England|King John]]. By the beginning of the 12th century, the title of portreeve gave way to that of mayor as the designation of the chief officer of London, followed around 1190 by that of [[Winchester]]. Other boroughs adopted the title later.

In the 19th century, the [[Municipal Corporations Act 1882]], Section 15, regulated the election of mayors. The mayor was to be a fit person elected annually on 9 November by the council of the borough from among the aldermen or councilors or persons qualified to be such. His term of office was one year, but he was eligible for re-election. He might appoint a deputy to act during illness or absence, and such deputy must be either an alderman or councilor. A mayor who was absent from the borough for more than two months became disqualified and had to vacate his office. A mayor was ''ex officio'' a [[justice of the peace]] for the borough during his year of office and the following year. He received such remuneration as the council thought reasonable. These provisions have now been repealed.

In medieval Wales, the [[Laws of Hywel Dda]] codified the mayor ([[Medieval Latin|Latin]]: ''{{lang|la|maior}}''; [[Welsh language|Welsh]]: ''{{lang|cy|maer}}'') as a position at the [[Welsh kingdoms|royal courts]] charged with administering the serfs of the [[demesne|king's lands]]. To maintain its dependence on and loyalty to the Crown, the position was forbidden to the leaders of the clan groups.<ref name="HyDda">[[Wade-Evans, Arthur]]. ''[[Page:Welsh Medieval Law.djvu/447|Welsh Medieval Law]]''. Oxford Univ., 1909. Accessed 1 February 2013.</ref> A separate mayor, known as the "cow dung mayor"<!--seriously. see source.--> ({{Lang|cy|maer biswail}}), was charged with overseeing the royal cattle.<ref name=HyDda/> There were similar offices at the Scottish and Irish courts.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}}

The office of [[mayors and provosts in the United Kingdom|mayor]] in most modern English and Welsh boroughs and towns did not in the 20th century entail any important administrative duties and was generally regarded as an honor conferred for local distinction, long service on the council, or for past services. The mayor was expected to devote much of their time to civic, ceremonial, and representational functions, and to preside over meetings for the advancement of the public welfare. The administrative duties of mayors were to act as returning officer at parliamentary elections and to chair the meetings of the council.

The mayor of a [[town council]] is officially known as "town mayor" (although in popular parlance, the word ''town'' is often dropped). The person is known as "mayor" regardless of gender; the partner of a mayor is sometimes known as the "mayoress". Since the [[Local Government Act 1972|1974 local government reforms]], mayors are also appointed to English [[local government districts]] which have [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|borough status]]. This results in mayors of districts which include towns which also have separate mayors.  In districts which do not have borough status, the role of civic leader is taken by the chairman of the council, who undertakes exactly the same functions as a mayor of a district with borough status.

Many major cities in the [[United Kingdom]] and throughout the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] have a [[lord mayor]], a special recognition bestowed by the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|sovereign]]. Although the position is often ceremonial, with executive responsibilities under the control of an elected mayor, lord mayors in several Commonwealth cities including [[Belfast]], [[Cardiff]], [[Brisbane]], and [[Dublin]] hold both ceremonial and executive duties. Some lord mayors, including the [[List of mayors, lord mayors and administrators of Sydney|Lord Mayor of Sydney (Australia)]], are elected.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lord Mayor and councillors |url=https://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/lord-mayor-and-councillors |access-date=2024-07-30 |website=City of Sydney |language=en}}</ref>

In [[Scotland]] the post holders are known as convenors, [[provost (civil)|provost]]s, or lord provosts depending on the local authority.

==== Directly elected mayors ====
{{main|Directly elected mayors in England}}
Since [[Local Government Act 2000|reforms]] introduced in 2000, a number of English local authorities have [[Elected mayors in the United Kingdom|directly elected mayors]] who combine the "civic" mayor role with that of [[leader of the council]] and have significantly greater powers than either.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05000/|title= Directly-elected mayors|website= www.commonslibrary.parliament.uk|access-date= 14 December 2020|archive-date= 26 July 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220726013121/https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/sn05000/|url-status= live}}</ref>

Areas which now have directly elected mayors include cities, local government districts which cover several towns and rural areas, and since 2014 [[combined authority]] areas which include two or more local authority districts.