The Lord Mayor is the first citizen of Nottingham.

The Lord Mayor of Nottingham is Councillor Wendy Smith.

Background of the Lord Mayor

Wendy Smith was born at Fulwood Barracks in Preston and brought up in Corby on a newly-built council estate.  She has a younger brother and sister.

In 1965 Wendy attended one of the first comprehensive schools and, following A levels in Music, French and German, trained as a teacher in Hertford, then went to Trinity College of Music in London to study organ and harpsichord.  Wendy became a Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music in 1977.

In 1978 Wendy moved to Nottingham at a time when teaching jobs were in short supply and became a school pianist and later did some school music teaching. She then took a secretarial course and did a variety of office jobs as well as working as a self-employed musician.

Wendy returned to teaching in 1990 as a supply teacher then applied for a job teaching deaf children. Following training at Birmingham University she qualified as a Teacher of the Deaf, learnt British Sign Language and in 1995 was part of the team which established the Deaf provision at Firbeck Primary School.  Later she taught in primary, secondary and special schools in the City and has been a governor at several local schools and colleges.  Wendy is now an Associate Governor at Mellers Primary School which has the City’s primary provision for Deaf children.

In 1991 Wendy moved to Bilborough and became a foster carer, fostering 11 children before meeting her husband Peter in 1994 whilst singing at a wedding.

In 2002 she won a competition to become the 'Voice of the Tram'.  That led to her becoming a professional voiceover, mainly recording at a studio in Sherwood.

In 2007 Wendy discovered she had breast cancer following routine screening.  A few months later her sister also found she had breast cancer. They consider themselves lucky that it was caught early and they both made a good recovery.  As a result they are keen to encourage everyone to attend their cancer screening appointments and be ‘breast aware’.

Wendy was elected as a councillor for the Bilborough Ward at a by-election in April 2013.  Her particular interests are in education, disability, the arts and supporting older people to stay in their own homes.  Having spent many years caring for a relative with dementia, in 2019 Wendy started a monthly Memory Cafe (which had to be paused when lockdown started).  

In 2016 Wendy and colleagues started Bilborough Arts Festival, a week-long summer celebration of the arts which involves residents of all ages as well as local schools.

Before becoming a councillor Wendy did voluntary work with the police and she was also a Victim Support volunteer.

In contrast to Wendy’s longstanding interest in Tudor, Baroque and church music, she started learning the drums in 2008 and now plays with two jazz bands,  the Shipstone Street Jazz Orchestra and Cool Jazz quintet. Wendy also enjoys gardening, boxing, singing, playing Scrabble and languages.

Key Tasks

• Preside over the meetings of the Council (full Council) as prescribed in the Local Government Act 1972, schedule 12, paragraph 5
• Receive members of the Royal Family and other important visitors to the city
• To act as a symbolic figurehead for Core City activity and host visits by Lord Mayors, councillors and officers from those cities
• Represent the City Council at traditional civic events such as the Legal Service, Remembrance Sunday the Civic Service etc
• Represent the City Council by attending external functions, which celebrate the contribution of organisations from all sectors to the life of the city of Nottingham
• To preside over Citizenship ceremonies to welcome new British citizens to the city of Nottingham
• Take salutes of military and voluntary organisations that either have the right to, or request the right to, march through the city
• To be the president of the Interfaith Council and visit places of worship for a range of faiths throughout the civic year
• To nominate a charity and help raise funds for that charity and the standing Lord Mayor's charities
• Quasi-judicial role of Lord Mayor to sign documents

The Lord Mayor's Chaplain

The post of Lord Mayor's Chaplain is an honorary one, and as such is unpaid. The Chaplain's duties are to give spiritual guidance to the Lord Mayor and support on civic occasions.

The Lord Mayor’s Chaplain is Rev. Peter Shaw of Woven St John's, Bilborough.

For more information please contact the Civic Office:

Email: civic.office@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
Tel: 0115 841 5554