THE OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

The Mayor of Craigavon for 2012-2013 is Councillor Carla Lockhart

The Deputy Mayor of Craigavon for 2012-2013 is Alderman Arnold Hatch

To invite the Mayor or Deputy Mayor to a meeting or function please contact;

Mrs Susan Parks
Mayor's Secretary
Craigavon Civic & Conference Centre
Lakeview Road
CRAIGAVON
BT64 1AL

Tel: 028 3831 2403
Fax: 028 3831 2454
e-mail - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

General

The Mayor is a representative of all the residents of the Borough of Craigavon.  Therefore, during his/her term of office, the Mayor will seek to accept invitations from all sections of the community.

Every endeavour will be made by the Mayor's office to ensure that the Mayor's visit to your function is a success.  You are more than welcome to contact the Office, where appropriate advice and assistance is readily available.

The address for general correspondence is;

The Worshipful the Mayor of Craigavon
Craigavon Borough Council
Craigavon Civic & Conference Centre
Lakeview Road
CRAIGAVON
BT64 1AL

Letters should begin with Dear Mr Mayor, or Dear Madam Mayor

Mayoral Protocol

The Mayor of Craigavon usually attends around 500 engagements during the Civic Year and each event is processed by the Mayor's Secretary in the Mayor's Office.

In view of the Mayor's busy schedule, it is preferred that each invitation is put in writing to the Mayor's Office with as much notice as possible prior to the date of the event.

Upon the Mayor's acceptance of an invitation, the Mayor's Office will contact you to find out details of your event and if there are any duties for the Mayor to perform while present.

The following are guidelines which may prove helpful when you have invited the Mayor to your event.  Please remember that the Mayor is the first citizen of the Borough and should be afforded every privilege as such.

1. The Mayor's Secretary must be told at what time you would like the Mayor to arrive at your event, where he/she should be met by the host i.e. Chairman/President/Leader of your group/organisation, and escorted by such a person into and throughout the event.
2. That person should then make any necessary introductions to other organisers/ office bearers or special guests present.
3. When addressing the Mayor the correct term is "Mr Mayor" or if it is a female in office "Madam Mayor".
4. The Mayor should be accompanied by the host of the event at all times, this includes being guided around the event or seated next to at a concert.  If refreshments are served, it is usual that the Mayor would take precedence.
5. Should the Mayor have a participating role in your event, the Mayor's Secretary should be informed well beforehand. For example, a speech to make, a trophy to present, a ribbon to cut etc.
6. The Mayor will know from his/her briefing from the Mayor's Secretary exactly what is required from him/her, but you, as the organiser, should confirm all the details with the Mayor before your event begins.
7. PRECEDENCE - The Mayor has precedence inside his/her own Borough, that is, the Mayor should walk first, be announced first, should be spoken to/introduced first etc.  The Mayor surrenders precedence only when the Lord Lieutenant is present in his official capacity representing the Queen.  It goes without saying that the Mayor will give precedence to Her Majesty the Queen and Members of the Royal Family.
8. Unless the Mayor occupies the Chair at a gathering, he/she should be seated on the immediate right of the Chairman.  If a speech is required from the Mayor it is usual that the Mayor would speak first.
9. The Mayor and Mayoress should always be seated on the platform or at the top table.
10. At the conclusion of your event, when the Mayor is leaving, he/she must be escorted to either the door or outside to the Mayoral Car.

The Mayoress or  Mayor's Consort

When a male Mayor is in office, then is spouse/partner is known as the Mayoress of Craigavon and should be addressed as "Mayoress".

When a female Mayor is in office, then her spouse/partner is known as the Mayor's Consort and should simply be addressed as Mr.

The Mayoress or Mayor's Consort should be treated with the same courtesy as the Mayor when accompanying him/her to an event.

The Deputy Mayor

In the absence of the Mayor, the Deputy Mayor is entitled to the Mayor's right of precedence within the Borough and similar arrangements to those listed earlier in this booklet should be made if the Deputy Mayor is attending a function in place of the Mayor.

Robes and Mace-Bearer

At most functions the Mayor/Mayoress/Deputy Mayor will wear their Chains of Office.  Civic Robes are only worn at major Civic Occasions such as Remembrance Sunday and the wearing of robes is only at the discretion of the full Council.

When Council is attending a function robed, the Mace is carried by the Mace-bearer who also wears a robe.  The Mace is carried on the right shoulder and is the emblem of authority of the Mayor and therefore immediately precedes the Mayor in all Civic Processions.