Your Mayor

Introducing Councillor Tony Briggs, the Mayor of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield

Councillor Tony Briggs represents the Reddicap ward and previously served as Councillor of the Walmley and Minworth ward since becoming a Town Councillor in 2019.

 

Tony has been Chairman of the Planning and Highways Committee from 2021.

 

Cllr Briggs has lived in Sutton Coldfield with his wife Pamela for 25 years. Together they have two sons, Jonathan and David who both studied in Sutton Coldfield.

 

Tony serves as a school governor for Four Oaks Primary school and in his spare time he enjoys a wide range of sport, in particular local and national Rugby.

 

 

Details on the theme for this year’s Mayor’s Challenge 2023/24 will be shared over the next few months.

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History

John Benjamin Stone

Elected in 1886, John Benjamin Stone became the first Mayor of Sutton Coldfield when a charter was granted to establish the first town council in Sutton Coldfield.

At that time, the population was under 8,000 people and Mayor Benjamin Stone represented the community with a handful of councillors.

Have we always had a Mayor since?

The role of Mayor came to an end in 1974 when a local Government reorganisation moved Sutton Coldfield from the County of Warwickshire to the Metropolitan District of Birmingham. Under this reworked Government, Sutton Coldfield became the largest constituency of Birmingham City Council.

The role of Mayor was reinstated in 2016 when the new Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Council was formed.

What does the Mayor do?

It’s fair to say that the role of Mayor has diminished throughout the centuries, but the modern Mayor still represents the Authority and its area, connects the present day with the history of our town and acts as a symbol of continuity.

There are two main roles of the modern-day Mayor:

The civic role

As the first citizen of the town, it is the Mayor’s responsibility to promote civic pride and a key part of this is meeting with individuals and communities to honour their contribution to the life of the town.

Sometimes the Mayor may also be a member, patron or ex officio of a number of organisations.

The role of Mayor is distinct from the role of the Councillors and he or she must act in a non-political manner when carrying out the civic role.

The chair of Council

The Mayor chairs meetings of the full Council, making sure each meeting is used as a forum for debate concerning matters which affect the local community.