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Lord Mayor of Leeds
Coat of arms of Leeds City Council
Incumbent Cllr Abigail Marshall Katung since 2024
Style	The Right Worshipful
Status	Lord Mayor
Member of	Leeds City Council
Term length	One municipal year ends on 22 May 2025
Precursor	Mayor of Leeds (1661–1897)
Formation	12 July 1897
Website	Official website

The Lord Mayor of Leeds (until 1897 known as the Mayor of Leeds) is a ceremonial post held by a member of Leeds City Council, elected annually by the council.

By charter from King Charles I in 1626, the leader of the governing body of the borough of Leeds was an alderman, the first holder being Sir John Savile. A second charter, in 1661 from King Charles II, granted the title Mayor to Thomas Danby, after whom Thomas Danby College was named. In 1893 the County Borough of Leeds was granted city status, and in 1897 Queen Victoria conferred the title of Lord Mayor on James Kitson.

The first woman to have the post was Jessie Beatrice Kitson in 1942: she was elected following the death of Arthur Clarke shortly after his election.

In 2019, the council elected Leeds' first ever black Lord Mayor, Eileen Taylor. After serving as a Labour member of council since 2008, she was elected unanimously by fellow councillors at the authority's annual general meeting. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor's term was extended for another municipal year until May 2021, the first time a Lord Mayor has served for two municipal years since George Brett's original term of office (1947–48) was extended for a municipal year until 1949. Under the Representation of the People Act 1948, his term was extended until the first meeting held after the May 1949 council election.

Notable former Mayors include Benjamin Gott (1799), Sir George Goodman (1836), several of the Lupton family, Henry Rowland Marsden (1873) and Alf Cooke of the famous printworks (1890).

List of Lord Mayors

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Notes

1. Taylor's original one-year term (2019-2020) was extended for an extra municipal year following the COVID-19 pandemic and postponement of the council's Annual Council Meeting and Mayor Making ceremony of a new Lord Mayor for the 2020-2021 municipal year. It was the first time a Lord Mayor had served for two municipal years since George Brett's original term of office (1947-1948) was extended for a municipal year until 1949. Under the Representation of the People Act 1948, his term was extended until the first meeting held after the May 1949 council election.

References

1. ^ Leeds Civic Trust Archived 2011-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Leeds Coat of Arms
2. Leeds' first woman Lord Mayor
3. Margaret Drinkall (2013) The Leeds Book Of Days: 17 November 1942 (The History Press) ISBN 0752479628
4. "Leeds to get first black Lord Mayor". 16 January 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
5. ^ "Update from Leeds City Council regarding the Lord Mayor and this year's Mayor Making ceremony". leeds.gov.uk. Leeds City Council. 21 May 2020.
6. "VERBATIM REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF LEEDS CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING ON MONDAY, 28TH JUNE 2004" (PDF). leeds.gov.uk. Leeds City Council. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
7. Schroeder, Henry (1852). The annals of Yorkshire. p. 15.
8. Taylor, Richard Vickerman (1867). Supplement to the Biographia leodiensis;. London, Simpkin, Marshall, and co.;
9. "Lord Mayors & Aldermen of Leeds since 1626" (PDF). Leeds City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
10. Fraser, D. (1980). A History of Modern Leeds. Manchester University Press, 1980 England, UK. p. 384. ISBN 9780719007811. Retrieved 26 February 2020. James Kitson, 1st Baron Airedale Lord Mayor of Leeds 1896-1897...
11. "Election of Mayors". The Times. No. 36922. London. 11 November 1902. p. 12.
12. "NEW MAYOR DROPPED DEAD". The Charlottetown Guardian. 3 December 1942. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
13. "Fantastic photo flashback to year Leeds had its first female Lord Mayor". leedsstar.co.uk. Leeds Star Media. 6 November 2019. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
14. "Friday flashback: The man behind the name". facebook.com. Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. 16 January 2015.
15. "VERBATIM REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF LEEDS CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING ON MONDAY, 28TH JUNE 2004" (PDF). leeds.gov.uk. Leeds City Council. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
16. Coyle, Hayle (18 January 2024). "New Lord Mayor of Leeds takes up role with 'great pride'". BBC News. Leeds. Retrieved 18 January 2024.

External links

• "Lord Mayor of Leeds". Leeds City Council. Retrieved 8 September 2012. General information about current Lord Mayor
• "Lord Mayors & Aldermen of Leeds since 1626" (PDF). Leeds City Council. Retrieved 1 November 2017.

• Lists of mayors of places in England
• Lord mayors of Leeds
• Mayors of Leeds
• Ceremonial officers in the United Kingdom