About the Mayor of Surrey Heath

Councillor Bruce Mansell was chosen as Surrey Heath's 40th Mayor at the Borough Council's Annual Meeting on Wednesday 16 May 2012. He was first elected to represent the people of Frimley in 2003 and has served on the Standards and Planning Committees and was Chairman of the External Partnerships Scrutiny Committee from 2005 to 2011. In 2011/12 he was appointed Chairman of the Licensing Committee and the Deputy Mayor.

Councillor Mansell has lived in Frimley for 56 years and prior to retiring in 1996 worked for a major Bank in the City. He is married to Rosemary, who will support him as Mayoress in his mayoral duties. They have two sons and two grandchildren.

For this Mayoral year the Mayor will be raising money for the Frimley Children's Centre and hopes to raise enough money to purchase a Dinosaur Pediatric Examination Table. This will hopefully take some of the fear away from children when they have to visit the hospital.

The new Mayor said: "I am extremely honoured to become Mayor and hope to be invited to many local events. I would like to help increase the profiles of local community groups and businesses; another aim is to hopefully assist in promoting industry within our splendid borough."

This year's Deputy Mayor is Councillor Beverley Harding. She has lived in Surrey Heath for over 21 years and has been a Borough Councillor for the Parkside ward for the past five years. She has served on the External Partnerships Committee, Leisure and Environment Committee, Joint Staff Committee, Licensing Committee and Planning Committee, where she has been Vice Chairman.

Historical Information
The word "Mayor" and "Major" derive from the same Latin word, Magnus, meaning great. The office of Mayor, together with the Domesday Book and the feudal system, were brought to this country by the Normans as such an office had existed on the continent at least since the fifth century.

The office of Head of the Corporation is as old as the particular Borough itself, but in many towns the name of "Mayor" for this official is, comparatively speaking, an innovation which was introduced by the Municipal Corporation Act 1835.

1199 The first "Mayor Town" in England, Thetford, established (although the City of London Mayoralty dates from 1192).

Middle Ages Position similar in many ways to that of today, ie acknowledged as "First Citizen" of the town. The Mayor would normally preside in the Borough's civil and criminal courts.

Tudor The powers of the Mayor as Chief Magistrate (sometimes the sole Magistrate) greatly increased. Magistrates in this period were the "maids of all work" and, as a result, their personal importance was expanded.

17th Century In many Boroughs the Mayor had become all-powerful.

19th Century The Mayor could be the centre of all political activity with the terms of office lasting often two to four years. The political role of the Mayor, rather than the social and ceremonial role, was more important in this era than it is today.

20th Century The political role of the Mayor diminishes and the social and ceremonial role becomes more emphasised.

It was not until 1974 that it became compulsory for Mayors to be selected from members of the Council.