Councillor Judy Fox to become first female Mayor of Peterborough in 11 years
The ceremonial role is very different to that of the combined authority mayor
Long-serving councillor Judy Fox will soon become the next Mayor of Peterborough making her the first female to hold the position since 2014.
Cllr Fox (Peterborough First) will officially take over from Cllr Marco Cereste (Conservative) at the annual meeting of the full council on Monday, May 19.
The Werrington councillor has represented her residents for 21 years and will follow in the footsteps of her husband, Cllr John Fox, who served as mayor from 2017 to 2018.
Although not the first married couple to both hold the mayoralty, Thomas Gray (1981-82) and Connie Gray (1988-89), they will be the first to both have their photo taken in the mayor’s parlour.
Cllr Fox, who has previously held the titles of mayoress and deputy mayor, said she felt “very honoured” to become the new Mayor of Peterborough and added: “I’m looking forward to it because I’m Peterborian through and through.
“It means a lot to me really because I’m representing the city of which I was born and bred in. I feel really excited about the year and I’ve got a few invites already.”
She is keen to work with all the communities of Peterborough and bring them together.
Cllr John Fox said he was “really chuffed” for his wife and believes that councillors will “treat her with the respect she deserves”. He joked: “If they don’t, they’ll have me to answer to.”
What does the Mayor of Peterborough do?
The Mayor of Peterborough is a very different role to the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
The mayor of the combined authority, currently Paul Bristow, receives a salary and is responsible for a £333m revenue budget to deliver a number of priorities across the county. This includes areas such as transport, skills, business support and growth.
Alternatively, the Mayor of Peterborough is a largely ceremonial role and holds much less power.
In May of each year, a long-serving Peterborough councillor is appointed as the Mayor of Peterborough, with their term of office lasting for one year.
Peterborough City Council’s website states: “The mayor is seen as a symbol of continuity, a recognisable and ever-present factor in people’s experiences, effectively connecting the present with the past.
“It is also a symbol of an open society as the choice of mayor is no longer restricted. The first citizen can, and does, come from any class, gender or ethnic background.”
The Mayor of Peterborough also plays a key democratic role as they act as a politically impartial chair of Peterborough City Council, making sure that proper conduct takes place in full council meetings.
They also act as an ambassador for the city, locally, nationally and internationally. As Peterborough’s first citizen, the mayor is expected to speak and act for all the diverse communities in the city.
The Mayor of Peterborough is frequently invited to attend events in the community, such as openings and fundraising events organised by voluntary organisations.
Fundraising events are also held for the mayor’s charities, which the mayor chooses as the start of the civic year.
For example, current mayor Marco Cereste’s charities included Anna’s Hope, Cambridgeshire Children’s Hospital and The Salvation Army.
The councillor at the top of the list of seniority is eligible for the role of mayor, provided that they have not previously served as mayor.
A councillor may opt to decline the offer of the position of mayor.
If a councillor does accept the role, a proposer will be sought to nominate the councillor at the annual council mayor making meeting.
This year’s meeting takes place at Sand Martin House in Peterborough on Monday, May 19 at 6pm.