Seating for an outgoing Mayor no longer a Councillor

Hello everyone,

Our current Mayor has let me know that he is not planning to stand for reelection at the forthcoming town council elections in May. I am very happy with the protocols regarding the Annual Council meeting but I do have query regarding our separate Mayor’s Investiture Ceremony. We ceremonial hand over the position of Mayor from the Former Mayor to the new Mayor for the municipal year.

We do this by the Former Mayor wearing the robes into the Town Hall, and after a few initial words the Former Mayor and New Mayor are taken by the Macebearer into the Mayor’s Parlour and the robes are transferred to the New Mayor. What would normally happen is the Former Mayor would don their Councillor Robes and sit next to the New Mayor for the rest of the ceremony with their fellow Councillors. But with the Former Mayor no longer being a Councillor should they sit with the invited guests or does it not really matter and we can do the same set up with the Former Mayor sitting next to the Mayor for the ceremony? It just feels a little rude making him sit with the guests.

Any advice or guidance would be gratefully received, I have never been in this position before.

I am happy with either scenario but it would be nice to see what others areas do.

I organised a Mayormaking Ceremony with the same set of circumstances a few years ago. When the outgoing Mayor returned he went to sit in a reserved seat at the front of the guests next to his Mayoress. I don’t think it is rude, particularly if he has a reserved seat.

Thank you Penny. That makes sense and will plan on the above.