The Mayor's Office

Inviting the Mayor

You can ask the Mayor of Swale to represent the Council at events including the opening of new buildings and fetes.

To invite the mayor, you’ll need to provide the mayor’s office with information about the event at least two weeks before the event takes place including:

• the name and date of the event
• the persons to contact for more information
• whether parking can be reserved for the Mayor’s car

In addition, you can include any supporting information with more details about the event including a programme of the event, toast list or orders of service.

To invite the mayor, you’ll need to download and complete the Civic Office Engagement form  (PDF 191KB). Once you’ve completed the form, you can email it to Maria Clarke at mariaclarke@swale.gov.uk.

Before the event

Once we’ve confirmed the mayor’s attendance at an event, we’ll issue a press release to local newspapers which lists all the mayor’s engagements for the following two weeks.

The Mayor’s arrival

You’ll need to provide a responsible person to escort the mayor throughout his visit.

The mayor will normally arrive at least five minutes before the event starts. Wherever possible, you’ll need to make parking available for the mayor’s car as close to the entrance to the event as possible. The mayor’s attendant will also be present and accompany the Mayor throughout his visit.

Everyone attending the event should rise when the mayor enters the room and again when he leaves.

The mayor should be seated to the right and at the front of the congregation for church services and to the right of the chairman or managing director for business events. If the event is a memorial service, the mayor will sit on the left and at the front of the congregation.

The order of precedence for making a speech would be the Mayor of Swale first, followed by the chairman or president of your organisation unless the Lord Lieutenant or Deputy Lieutenant is present, in which case he would precede the Mayor in any address.