Mayor - Protocol
Arrival of the Mayor
The Mayor will normally arrive 5 minutes before the commencement of the function. The Mayor should be met on arrival by a responsible official of the organisation holding the Function, who should escort and introduce The Mayor to the President, Chair or whoever acts as host, or in certain circumstances to the assembled company immediately. The host should remain in attendance throughout the entire duration of the visit.
Correct form of address
The Mayor is styled:The Worshipful the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
In speech the Mayor would be addressed as:
Mr Mayor or Madam Mayor (where a female Mayor has opted to use that title).
Letters should be addressed to:
The Worshipful the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Councillor Patrick Codd (the individual's name will change at the beginning of May each year)
The Mayor's Office
Guildhall
High Street
Kingston upon Thames
KT1 1EU
And would commence
Dear Mister/Madam Mayor
The Deputy Mayor is styled
Deputy Mayor
Seating
The Mayor is the first citizen of the Royal Borough of Kingston and in any formal seating arrangements (dinners, luncheons, meetings and social events); the Mayor should be seated on the IMMEDIATE RIGHT of the host/chairperson. However, if a member of the Royal Family or the Queen's Representative were present, they would be given precedence over the Mayor.
Church Services
If the Mayor is attending a Church service, the Mayoral Party should be met at the entrance to the Church and escorted to the front pew on the right hand side (facing the front of the Church) of the centre aisle. The only exception to this practice is at a Funeral service when the Mayor takes the front pew on the left to allow the family mourners to sit on the right.
It is important to remember that when you invite the Mayor to attend an event in the Royal Borough that he or she is the principal guest and has a clearly defined role to perform, either this or there is a specific purpose for the Mayor's visit.
Speeches
If the Mayor is expected to speak at a function notice must be given. If at a formal lunch or dinner where toasts are to be made:
- If to speak, the Mayor should be invited to propose or respond to the First Toast after the 'Loyal Toast'. The formal Toast to the Royal Borough may be omitted in this case.
- If the Mayor is not to make a formal speech and there are to be toasts, a Formal Toast should be made to the Royal Borough immediately after the 'Loyal Toast' to which the Mayor will then respond formally with a toast to the organisation.
Procedure
If the function is in the nature of a Luncheon a copy of the proposed Toast list should be sent to the Mayor's Office with the completed Function Information Sheet. If this is not possible, it should be sent to reach the Mayor's Office no later than two weeks prior to the engagement. In the case of a Public Meeting or other similar events, a copy of the Agenda and any relevant papers should be forwarded with the Function Information Sheet or as soon as they are available.
General
Organisers of events to which the Mayor is invited, are requested to bear in mind that the Mayor attends as the First Citizen of the Borough: and not as a representative of the Council or any particular section of it. In relation to matters of policy or opinions the Mayor is always willing to afford opportunities for representation in the proper circumstances.
Deputy Mayor
The above procedures apply for the Deputy Mayor when attending as the Mayor's representative and it is emphasised that variation to the above practices should be made only with the express agreement of the Mayor obtained, through the Mayor's Office, in advance of the date of the function.