Mayor of Beverley Councillor Tom Astell.
Congratulations to Councillor Tom Astell, who has been elected the 419th Mayor of Beverley for the 2023-2024 Municipal Year.
At the Annual Meeting of Beverley Town Council, otherwise known as Mayor Making, held on Monday 15th May 2023 at Beverley Guildhall, Councillor Astell was nominated for the position of Mayor by Councillor Alison Healy and seconded by Councillor Bob Morgan, with the proposal being unanimously supported. Councillor David Boynton was elected as Deputy Mayor.
Councillor Astell announced that his Mayoress for the year will be his good friend Abbey Lister.
The Mayor's Charities
Lollipop
Lollipop offers children and young people who are educated and/or reside in the East Riding, social and emotional support around sexuality and gender identity, through early intervention.
The group offers a place where children and young people across the county can express themselves in a safe environment and enhances peer support and friendships beyond the group in order to tackle social isolation.
It offers; a safe space to be yourself, advice, fun, activities, social events, one to one support and support in coming out to others.
Kicks Count
Kicks Count aims to reduce the UK’s high stillbirth and neonatal death rate by raising awareness of baby movements.
While there isn’t one cause of stillbirth, a decrease in baby’s movements can be a key warning sign that a baby is in distress and 50% of mothers who had a stillbirth noticed slowing down of baby’s movements beforehand.
By raising awareness of baby’s movements and encouraging mums to report any change in movement immediately it is estimated that a third of stillbirths could be prevented.
About the Role of Mayor of Beverley and Chairman of Beverley Town Council
- Every year at the Annual Meeting of Beverley Town Council, by law Town Councillors have to select a Chairman from their number. The Chairman is entitled to stylise themselves as Mayor, which is an ancient title.
- The first recorded Mayor of Beverley was Edward Ellerker in 1573.
- Click here to see a list of Mayors of Beverley from 1573 to 2023
- Councillor Tom Astell is the 419th Mayor (if a Mayor serves two consecutive years, they count as one Mayor, but if they serve more than once with a break between, each is classed as a numerically new Mayor).
- The role of Chairman of the Town Council is to ensure the orderly, lawful transaction of business at Full Council meetings, for which they receive advice and guidance from the Town Clerk. The Chairman does not act as a leader of the Council or have any more powers than any other individual Councillor.
- The role of Mayor is to act as a civic representative of the town and fulfil many traditional and ceremonial duties. The Mayor is often described as the “First Citizen of the Town”. Regardless of gender, the title is Mayor, not Mayoress is there is a female incumbent. The Mayor may select a Mayoress or Consort to accompany the to civic events, but this post has no legal standing or other duties.
- A Deputy Mayor / Chairman is also elected.
- The term “Chairman” is a legal one – the Local Government Act 1972, which directs how Town Councils are governed, makes no legal provision for the terms “Chairwoman”, “Chairperson” or simply “Chair”.
- The roles of Chairman and Mayor cannot be separated, making it a challenging but rewarding responsibility to keep Council meetings in check, whilst also being the official civic representative of the people of Beverley.
Inviting the Mayor to Your Event
If you wish to invite the Mayor of Beverley to attend your event or you are seeking her support, please send a written invitation to the Beverley Town Council office by completing the attached form and sending it by post (12 Well Lane, Beverley, HU17 9BL) or email (clerk@beverley.gov.uk).
All invitations received will be discussed with the Mayor and a decision made depending upon the civic diary. If the Mayor is available to attend your event an acceptance letter or email will be sent to you. In the event that the Mayor is unable to attend, the invitation will be passed on to the Deputy Mayor for consideration, and the appropriate response sent.
In order that we may maintain a complete record of events in the civic diary, please do not contact the Mayor directly or send correspondence to their home. All communication must be done through the Beverley Town Council office.
Download a copy of the official Mayoral invitation form.
When inviting the Mayor, please give some thought to what you wish to achieve by having the Mayor at your function and what you would like the Mayor to do. This may include giving a presentation, receiving a cheque, reading a lesson, making a speech or drawing a raffle. It would be useful if you could provide some background information about your organisation and the event. This is especially important if you wish the Mayor to make a speech. Please make someone available to greet the Mayor on arrival, and accompany them on their visit. Please also bear in mind that the Mayor often has several civic engagements throughout the day and will need to leave your event on time in order to maintain their schedule.
Photo courtesy of “Just Beverley“.