Runnymede Borough Council

Runnymede Borough Council has existed in its present form since the local government re-organisation in 1974, and is the successor to Egham Urban District Council and Chertsey Urban District Council. Originally created as Runnymede District Council, it was granted the status of a borough by Royal Charter in 1978. Although it only has a population of 82,000, its name has a worldwide resonance because the Magna Carta was signed here in 1215 on "the water meadows between Staines and Windsor". The Borough's crest picks up the themes of the great charter - the Crown, the Church represented through Chertsey Abbey, the Royal swans, the green of the meadows and the blue of the River. They are brought together in the Borough's motto, "In Freedom, We Serve".

In heraldic terms, the Armorial Bearings amalgamate the Arms granted to the former Chertsey and Egham UDC's, and the motto - "In freedom we serve" combines the ideas from Egham's "Ut homines liberi sint" (That men might be free) and Chertsey's "Servire contendimus" (We strive to serve).

The Mayor of Runnymede

The role of Mayor is a non-political post and the Mayor is the civic head of the Council. Within the borough, the Mayor takes precedence over all except the Queen and her representative, the Lord Lieutenant. This high standing is a traditional one of honour and dignity, rather than constitutional. The Mayor is the "first citizen of the Borough" and acts as an 'ambassador' for the Council.

In addition, the Mayor acts as Chairman at meetings of the Council and has an important role in regulating proceedings and debate. This role is formally set out in the Council's Constitution. Runnymede is one of the few Councils which continues to operate a committee-based system, giving every councillor - as opposed to simply a smaller executive - a practical input into the way local services are administered.

Current Mayor of Runnymede

Councillor Hugh Meares as outgoing Mayor of Runnymede hands over the chains of office to Councillor Jim Broadhead, Mayor of Runnymede Borough Council for the coming year.

The Annual Council meeting was held in the new Runnymede Civic Centre Council Chamber last night, where the new Councillors elected at the Local Elections on 1 May joined the Council.

Mayor's Valedictory

How do I invite the Mayor to my event

Runnymede's Mayor is always delighted to be invited to local events, such as activities at schools, charity projects, and so on. If you want to invite the Mayor to come to your event, you can phone, write or send an email to the Mayor's secretary using the following contact details.

Contacting the Mayor

You can contact the Mayor as follows:

The Mayor's Secretary
Runnymede Borough Council
Runnymede Civic Centre
Station Road
Addlestone KT15 2AH

01932 425502
the.mayor@runnymede.gov.uk

Mayoral Chaplain

For the first time since the granting of the Royal Charter in 1978, the Mayor appointed a Mayoral Chaplain, Father Michael Hereward-Rothwell, the Vicar of St Mary Thorp. Many of the Surrey Boroughs appoint a Mayor's Chaplain and his role is to attend the Mayor Making, to hold the Civic Service and to provide a link into the faith aspect of the Community. It is, perhaps, a timely coincidence that this first appointment of a Mayor's Chaplain in Runnymede occurred in a year when the relationship of spiritual and secular values in a multicultural society has become a hot topic of national interest and debate.

The Mayoral Year 2007-8

This year's Civic Service in the Norman church of St Mary Thorp was attended by over 200 people from the Borough. The Mayor's Chaplain took as his theme the contribution of Archbishop Stephen Langton to the Magna Carta, with its ideas of election and accountability and service to the community: "In Freedom, We serve".

The Civic Reception was held in the Grade I listed "Great Fosters" in December, and was attended by more than 250 people from the voluntary and other sectors. In his end of year address, the Mayor paid tribute to Runnymede's serving soldiers returning from active service and also the local farming community which had suffered as one of the epicentre of the 2007 foot and mouth outbreak.

The Valentine's Charity Opera evening was held by kind permission of the Principal of Royal Holloway University of London in their magnificent new theatre in the award winning Windsor Building. It was attended by more than 300 people who came from across the Borough and County.

* Photographs of the Mayor's Chain by Rychlowski