Lord Mayor of Plymouth
The Lord Mayor and the Lord Mayor’s Office are the council’s chief custodians of civic pride and its champions of community cohesion. We also support others in the council and the community to celebrate all that is good about life in Plymouth.
The Office of Lord Mayor is representational by nature, this means that the Lord Mayor holds no executive powers and the office of Lord Mayor is fundamentally apolitical, neutral and independent. This is one of its greatest strengths and means that the Lord Mayor can represent all sections of the community as First Citizen without fear or favour.
At the same time the office of Lord Mayor carries its own unique set of rights and historic entitlements. For example, the Lord Mayor of Plymouth has long been recognised as being second only to Royalty and to the Queen’s Deputy, the Lord Lieutenant or the Representative Deputy Lieutenant.
This means that the Lord Mayor has unlimited rights to precedence in the City and is always afforded due dignity and respect as the most important person in attendance at public events, save those where a member of The Royal Family and Her Majesty’s Deputy is present. For civic events within the City boundaries where the Queen’s Deputy is present, but not a member of the Royal Family, the Lord Mayor enjoys precedence over all as First Citizen.
The Lord Mayor must be a serving councillor and each year the Conservative Party and the Labour Party (the two main political parties that make up the City Council) take it in turns to hold the position. The Lord Mayor nominates their Deputy Lord Mayor.
The Role of Lord Mayor
The Lord Mayor is chosen by the other councillors who serve on the council and is elected in May each year at the annual meeting of the City Council.
The Lord Mayor has two important roles, a ceremonial role and as chair of City Council meetings.
Ceremonial
- Supports the community
- Promotes the interests of the council and the city
Chair of City Council meetings
- Makes sure all points of view are fairly heard
- Makes sure council members follow rules and procedures
- Has the casting vote if there is a tied vote
The Lord Mayor also hosts a series of civic events over the course of the year and presides over a number of high profile civic ceremonial events.
Invitations to events
You can invite the Lord Mayor or Deputy Lord Mayor to an event or function, we need to receive your invitation at least three weeks before the event.
The Lord Mayor and Consort Councillor Kathy Watkin and Alderman Dr John Mahony
Kathy was born in rural Shropshire very near the Welsh border where most of her ancestors had lived for upwards of 500 years.
The family moved from Shropshire when she was a baby and her late brother a toddler, when her father had a religious calling and trained to be a Methodist Minister
One of her first memories is when he was stationed in Launceston, Cornwall. She recalls shopping in Plymouth and on the drive to the city, army lorries at Yelverton and Crownhill, bomb sites and partly constructed buildings in the city centre. Her parents made many friends in the Launceston area and most holidays subsequently were spent in Cornwall with frequent visits to Plymouth.
Kathy started primary school in Launceston then moved to schools in South Wales and Cheshire. Having attended 5 schools she was sent to an all girls Methodist Day and Boarding School in Southport, Lancashire to have a more settled secondary education whilst her father continued his itinerant ministry in other parts of the country.
After school she trained as a speech and language therapist in London and worked in hospitals and clinics in Bath, Cardiff, Sussex and Bristol then got a place to study Law at Bristol Polythechnic, (now UWE). She was offered a place as an articled clerk by a progressive Plymouth firm as their first female trainee. She attended the College of Law Guildford to complete her academic training and was admitted as a solicitor in 1978.
Kathy is now retired, but most of her working life was spent in Plymouth. For several years before retirement, she had her own practice in Mutley specialising in Residential and Commercial property, Wills and Probate
She has been an active member of the Conservative Party for more than 25 years and after retirement decided to stand for the Council. She was elected in Plymstock Radford in 2019 and subsequently re-elected in 2023. She has served on various committees including Planning (Vice Chair 2022 -2023), Health and Adult Social Care Scrutiny (Vice Chair 2024-2025), Health and Wellbeing Board (Vice Chair 2024-2025) Licensing and Mount Edgcumbe joint committee and Sacre.
She was Deputy Lord Mayor in 2023-2024 and enjoyed meeting people from various backgrounds and organisations and seeing firsthand the wonderful work that is being done in Plymouth for communities. She is looking forward to further community engagement during her Mayoral year.
Amongst her many interests are Art, History, Travel and Meeting people from all backgrounds and cultures.
John was born in Plymouth, and apart from five years at Bristol University has lived in the city all his life. He was a GP in the city for 29 years, and a Plymouth city councillor for 22 years, with a particular interest in health and well-being. He was greatly honoured to be Deputy Lord Mayor in 2003/2004 and Lord Mayor in 2015/2016 and looks forward to supporting his friend Kathy during her year as Lord Mayor of this great city.
The Deputy Lord Mayor Councillor Chip Tofan
Chip was born in Iasi, Romania.
He has a Bachelor Degree in Engineering and currently runs his own company, providing consultancy services to small and medium enterprises.
Chip was first elected to Plymouth City Council representing Eggbuckland Ward in May 2022.
During his time as a councillor, he has been a member of various committees starting with Scrutiny Committee, Taxi licensing, Vice Chair of Licensing Committee, Natural Infrastructure & Growth Scrutiny Panel and SACRE.
Chip’s interests and hobbies include meeting people, swimming in cold water, walking and playing chess.
The Lord Mayor’s Office
The Mayoralty is supported by a small civic team which advises the Lord Mayor in their role as First Citizen and ambassador of the City. The team also leads a comprehensive annual programme of civic engagements.
Over the course of the year the office arranges a varied programme of events and activities aimed at promoting community cohesion through civic engagement. These are in addition to the day to day diary of engagements carried out by the Lord Mayor or those deputising on the Lord Mayor’s behalf.
The Lord Mayor’s Office is also responsible for the organisation of an annual programme of civic events including:
- The Inauguration of the Lord Mayor (Lord Mayor’s Choosing) which is incorporated as part of the Annual Meeting of the Council in May of each year
- Armed Forces Day/VE Day
- Annual Survey of the Waterworks and Fishing Feast
- Remembrance Sunday
- Lord Mayor’s Carol Service
- Holocaust Memorial Day
- Commonwealth Flag Raising
- Lord Mayor’s Civic Church Service
The Office is also responsible for arranging special ceremonies where the City’s highest honours, The Honorary Freedom of the City of Plymouth, are presented. In addition, the office also manages all ceremonial arrangements for conferring the title of Honorary Alderman on councillors who have served 15 years on the Council.
If you would like any further information or wish to invite the Lord Mayor to attend and speak at your event or activity, contact the Lord Mayor’s Office:
Email - [email protected].
Coat of arms – Plymouth City
The armorial bearings of the Corporation of Plymouth symbolise much of the history of the city. The arms display the Cross of St Andrew to whom the Mother Church of Plymouth is dedicated, and also the four turrets which formed the corners of the Castle Quadrate which stood above the Barbican commanding the entrants to Sutton Pool. The description in heraldic language is Argent, a saltire vert between four towers sable.
The Crest is a blue naval crown with a red anchor held in a golden lions paw. Two other naval crowns form collars for the lion supporters. Both crown and anchor were part of the crest of the former County Borough of Devonport. Here is represented the part which the Royal Navy has played in the life of the city.
Council identity mark
The current city identity mark derives from elements of the armorial bearings
Past Lord Mayors
Our Mayors and Lord Mayors dating back to 1439 is available on our list of past Lord Mayors page.