Lord Mayor of Bristol

Find out about the Lord Mayor of Bristol, how they’re elected and what their duties are

The Lord Mayor must be a serving councillor and each of Bristol’s political groups take turns in holding the position each year. The Lord Mayor serves a one year term and when this is over they normally become the Deputy Lord Mayor.

The Lord Mayor is a different role to the Mayor of Bristol. Find out more about Bristol’s Mayor.

The Lord Mayor is the first Citizen of the City and County of Bristol. There have been Mayors in Bristol since 1216 and a Lord Mayor since 1899, following Queen Victoria's decision to grant Bristol this privilege.

Find out about upcoming public engagements in the Lord Mayor's diary (pdf, 22k) (opens new window) .

Follow the Lord Mayor on Twitter

The Lord Mayor, Lord Mayor’s Consort and Deputy Lord Mayor

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of Bristol is Councillor Lesley Alexander

Read the Lord Mayor’s biography

The Lord Mayor’s Consort is her husband Charles Alexander

The Deputy Lord Mayor is Councillor Jeff Lovell and the Deputy Lady Mayoress is Mrs Bridget Lovell.

Read the Deputy Lord Mayor’s biography (pdf, 21k) (opens new window)

Read the Deputy Lady Mayoress’ biography (pdf, 39k) (opens new window)

Lord Mayor's medals

The Lord Mayor’s medal recognises those who go that extra mile to make a difference to local communities, with two medals being available to young people aged 18 and under and aimed at those who have inspired others by their actions.

The duties of the Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor devotes most of their time to the promotion of the city, key initiatives of the council and supporting a wide range of Bristol based organisations.

The Lord Mayor carries out around 800 engagements a year covering a wide spectrum of events from major royal visits to small community group meetings and local charity events. They also chair the meeting of the full council when all councillors meet together.

The Lord Mayor, as first citizen of Bristol is the person that typically welcomes important visitors and dignitaries to the city. However, royal visitors to the city are organised and welcomed by the Queen's representative, The Lord Lieutenant.

Electing the Lord Mayor

The Lord Mayor is elected annually in May when all councillors meet together at the Annual Council Meeting.

The Lord Mayor has to be a councillor and is chosen by the other councillors who serve on the council. They continue to be a member of the council during their term of office.

Length of service

The term of office for the Lord Mayor is one year. It begins once the 'Mayor-making' ceremony has taken place at the Annual Council Meeting in mid-May. There is no limit for how many times somebody may serve as the Lord Mayor of Bristol.

The Lord Mayor's charities

The Lord Mayor is Patron of or connected with hundreds of charities within Bristol and assists them as much as possible.

Every year, the Lord Mayor's Christmas Appeal for Children helps hundreds of children in Bristol with vouchers for food, toys and clothing. The appeal is run by Rotary, Round Table and Lions Clubs with the Lord Mayor as the appeal's patron.

At home with the Lord Mayor

Members of the public are very welcome to come and enjoy a cup of tea at the Lord Mayor's official residence, the Mansion House, with the Lord Mayor.

At Home with the Lord Mayor takes place once a quarter on the first Wednesday in March, July, September and December all at 3pm.

Both individual and group bookings are possible and pre-booking is essential by contacting the Lord Mayor's Office by email at lordmayor@bristol.gov.uk.