The Council’s Annual Council and Mayor Making meeting has seen the appointment of a new Lord Mayor of York with Cllr Margaret Wells officially appointed as the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of York.
Councillor Wells is returning for her second tenure of the highly prestigious and historic office, which is second only to the Lord Mayor of London in precedence, and dates back to at least 1217. The office was upgraded to Lord Mayor in 1389 by Richard II.
Those attending the annual meeting today first welcomed the new Civic Party, before allocating seats and appointments to the Council and other outside bodies.
Councillor Margaret Wells takes over the role of Lord Mayor from Councillor Rowley BEM.
Geoff Cossins joins the incoming Civic Party as the Sheriff of York, taking over from Paul Doughty.
Cllr Claire Douglas, Leader of City of York Council, said:
“Mayor making is an ancient tradition steeped in history and it is a real honour to formally welcome York’s new Lord Mayor and Civic Party for the next year.
“I’d like to thank Cllr Rowley and the outgoing Civic Party for their outstanding work. It is a pleasure to welcome Cllr Wells back as The Lord Mayor after the fantastic work she did along with the Civic Party for the city when she was last Lord Mayor.”
Cllr Margaret Wells, Lord Mayor of York, said:
“It is a real honour to be chosen as the Lord Mayor of York again. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Cllr Rowley BEM for all his hard work and dedication during his tenure as Lord Mayor.
“Alongside my colleagues in the Civic Party, I’m looking forward to continuing our work as ambassadors for this fantastic city along with meeting the amazing people of York and helping raise money for fantastic causes.”
The Civic Party for 2026/2027 is:
- The Rt Hon the Lord Mayor of York, Councillor Margaret Wells
- The lord Mayors Consort, Trevor Gant
- Sheriff of York, Geoff Cossins
- Sheriff’s Consort, Stuart Jarman.
The Lord Mayor's fundraising committee will be organising around the city during the civic year to raise money to support York Cares, supported by Shared York CIC.