Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council is composed of 17 wards with 34 Councillors, each of whom is chosen to represent a defined Ward by the residents who live in it. A Councillor's term of office lasts four years, but Councillors often decide to submit themselves for re-election, so may serve on the Council for many years. Elections for Councillors to represent the Borough on the Warwickshire County Council are held every fourth year.
The Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth is elected by fellow councillors at the Annual Meeting of the Borough Council and Mayor Making Ceremony held in May of each year. The position is held for one year. The Mayor is normally a councillor of long standing or one who has made a significant contribution to the borough.
The Mayor's main function is to act as Chair of full council meetings, and as chair, ensures that proceedings are conducted in a fair and proper manner. The Mayor is also First Citizen of the Borough for their year in office representing the Council at public functions and at social, civic and ceremonial events, both in the borough and further afield.
The Mayor also acts as an ambassador for the community, acting as a figurehead for local appeals and events. Each year the Mayor of Nuneaton and Bedworth pledges their support to a charity (or charities) of their choice. All monies raised at special events held during the year are donated to the Mayor's Appeal.
An Officer of the NBBC was kind enough to send me a list of the early Mayors of Nuneaton and Bedworth in 2006. The two Authorities had merged in 1974.
| 1974 | F.B.J. Warr | |
| 1974-75 | J.F Diskin | |
| 1975-76 | A. Tallis | |
| 1976-77 | R.T. Walker | |
| 1977-78 | H. Jones | |
| 1978-79 | D.G.D. Woodcock | |
| 1979-80 | T.E. Short | |
| 1980-81 | W. Deacon Bill represented Abbey Ward as a Councillor for 26 years. He died in April 2015. | |
| 1981-82 | J.F. Place Jeff was a Councillor for Abbey Ward for much of the 1970s and some of the 1980s. For a time he was also a Warwickshire County Councillor. He helped Leslie Huckfield win the Nuneaton Parliamentary seat in 1967 and was Bill Olner's agent when he was elected in 1992. He died in March 2014. | |
| 1982-83 | C.M. Ward | Female |
| 1983-84 | J. Haynes JP | |
| 1984-85 | S. Williams | |
| 1985-86 | A.H. Walker JP | |
| 1986-87 | G.W. Taylor | |
| 1987-88 | W.J. Olner | Town MP 1992-2010 |
| 1988-89 | R.D. Walkden | |
| 1989-90 | T. Hargreaves | |
| 1990-91 | M.J. Jones Mick died in May 2023. He and his team collected £60,000 for the Mary Ann Evans Hospice whilst in office. He had represented the Galley Common and Abbey Wards. | |
| 1991-92 | R.D. Hicks | |
| 1992-93 | A.A. Lloyd | |
| 1993-94 | M. Kedwards | |
| 1994-95 | R.G. Copland | |
| 1995-96 | D.T. Jacques | Conservative |
| 1996-97 | J. Glass | |
| 1997-98 | D. Ensor Dave died from pneumonia in October 2015. He had represented the Abbey Ward for many years and had raised £40,000 for the NSPCC whilst Mayor. | |
| 1998-99 | R.N. Chattaway | |
| 1999-2000 | M.C. Beaumont | Female |
| 2000-01 | D.F. Hawkes | Female |
| 2001-02 | W.J. Hancox | |
| 2002-03 | G. Ashford | |
| 2003-04 | I.K. Lloyd | |
| 2004-05 | P. Henry | Female |
| 2005-06 | P.A. Bradley | |
| 2006-07 | J.A. Jackson Julie is Councillor for Wem Brook and was first elected in May 1996. | Female |
| 2007-08 | W.H. Sheppard Bill is Councillor for Wem Brook and was first elected in May 1996. | |
| 2008-09 | G. Smith Councillor Gerald Smith was born in 1938, moving to Nuneaton in 1961 to work at the Observer newspaper. In 1975 he acquired his own milk round, working as a milkman until he retired in 1998. In 2000 he won Weddington Ward. | Conservative |
| 2009-10 | T.G. Wilson Tom was first elected to the St. Nicolas Ward of the NBBC in May 1999. His wife, Sonja, was a Borough Councillor for Arbury Ward.Sadly Tom died from lymphona cancer in July 2014. He had served as a Borough Councillor in two periods: 1976-83 and 1999-2012. His civic appeal had raised £25,000 for the Meningitis Trust, for people with hearing difficulties and for the Nuneaton and Bedworth Heritage Centres. He had married Sonja, a Dane, in July 1967. | Conservative |
| 2010-11 | D. Navarro Don was first elected to the Exhall Ward in May 2002. His Mayoral Appeal was for The Special Care Baby Unit at the George Eliot Hospital. | Labour |
| 2011-12 | N.J. Phillips Neil was first elected to the Abbey Ward in May 2006. Born in 1959, he has undertaken a variety of jobs and was a mature student at Coventry University. His Appeal was for the Mary Ann Evans Hospice. | Labour |
| 2012-13 | J. Haynes John is Councillor for Bede Ward in Bedworth. He was first elected in May 2010. | Labour |
| 2013-14 | R.G. Copland The Mayoral Appeal was for 'People in Action' whose aim is to help people with learning disabilities integrate into society. Specifically, he wanted to help raise enough money for a community cafe to be built in the Miners' Welfare Park in Bedworth. He is Councillor for Poplar Ward in Bedworth, being elected for the first time in May 1984. Bob was also Mayor in 1994-95. | Labour |
| 2014-15 | B.L. Hawkes Brian is Councillor for Heath in Bedworth and was first elected in May 2012. He is the first person to hold both the role of Mayor and of Consort, having been the latter in 2000-01, when his wife Diana was the Borough's Mayor. The Mayoral Appeal this year supports the Warwickshire and Northampton- shire Air Ambulance. | Labour |
| 2015-16 | B. Longden Barry became Councillor for Kingswood in May 2012. His Appeal is jointly for Maggie's Memory (brain tumour research, named after Maggie Davis) and Anker Radio. | Labour |
| 2016-17 | J. Sheppard Jill became Councillor for Abbey in September 2007. Her chosen charities for the Mayoral Appeal are the Veterans’ Contact Point Armed Forces Centre based in Nuneaton but serving borough-wide (and often beyond), and a Mental Health Drop-In Centre based in Newtown Road, Nuneaton. Her daughter is also a Labour Councillor in Nuneaton. | Labour |
| 2017-18 | W.J. Hancox Bill was elected to the Council in 1990, repesenting Bede Ward in Bedworth. He retired in 2013 and enjoys gardening and crown green bowling. He has adopted the Lymphoedema clinic (a part of Mary Ann Evans Hospice) as his Appeal for the Mayoral year. Four thousand people were treated there in 2016. He was also Mayor in 2001-02. | Labour |
| 2018-19 | C. M. Watkins Chris was first elected to the Council in May 2010, representing Kingswood Ward in Bedworth. He is supporting Doorway as his chosen charity. | Labour |
| 2019-20 | J. Tandy June represents the Attleborough Ward on the Council, being first elected in May 2012. Her chosen charity is The George Eliot Hospital Serenity Garden, which will provide a beautiful open space away from
clinical areas for patients to relax and socialise during their hospital
stay. | Labour |
| 2020-21 | ||
| 2021-22 | ||
| 2022-23 |