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 as
ambassador for all UK-based financial and professional
services.
The Lord Mayor's role is separate from but complementary to that
of the
Mayor of (Greater) London.
Promoting UK-based financial and professional services
The Lord Mayor is elected on an annual basis for a one-year term
in office. The position is unpaid and apolitical. The Lord Mayor
spends some 90 days promoting the City abroad and also makes a
number of business-focused visits to different parts of the UK. He
addresses in the region of 10,000 people each month, making around
700
speeches a year. Read more about the
Lord Mayor's international business role and his
overseas visit programme.
The Lord Mayor also hosts a large number of visits by important
foreign political and business figures. Another key aspect of the
Lord Mayor's role is to advise the Government on the views of City
businesses. As part of this the Lord Mayor is President of the
Advisory Council of TheCityUK.
Read more about the
Lord Mayor's domestic role.
Find out how to become Lord Mayor.
Head of the City of London Corporation
As well as promoting the financial and professional services
industry in the UK, 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 other
arts venues both in the City and around London more widely. The
City also supports a number of 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.
Mansion House, the Lord Mayor's Residence
The Lord Mayor is based at the
Mansion House for the Mayoral year. The Mansion House is
both a private residence for the Lord Mayor and family, and a base
for the Lord Mayor's office, a department of the City of London
Corporation. It provides a location for business meetings,
conferences, banquets and entertaining. Some 50,000 people visit
the Mansion House every year.
Philanthropy and CSR
Philanthropy and Corporate Social Responsibility is at the heart
of the City of London Corporation’s vision for the City, through
initiatives like Heart of the City and
employee volunteering. Each year the Lord Mayor runs a
charitable Appeal.
The Lord Mayor is also President or Patron of many civic and
charitable organisations. He has close links with the Livery
Companies of London, which donate some £41 million a year to
charity and also support a wide range of philanthropic, educational
and voluntary activity. In addition, the Livery companies play an
important part in the annual election of each Lord Mayor. For more
information visit the Fishmongers'
Company website, which contains a database of all the Livery
Companies.
Click here for more information about
charity, CSR, and the Lord Mayor's Appeal.
Read more about the
Lord Mayor's other roles and the
Mayoralty.
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
Download the Lord Mayor's Show leaflet
2011 (1.6mb)
Download the map of the
route (177kb)
Lord Mayor's Show Community
Participation Scheme
For more information about the Lord Mayor's Show Community
Participation Scheme for the Lord Mayor's Show in 2012, please read
the following
City
of London News Release.