The Lord Mayor of Nottingham

The Lord Mayor is the first citizen of Nottingham.

Cllr Cheryl Barnard, Lord Mayor 2026-7 

Councillor Cheryl Barnard was born in Bradford where her Christian Indian parents and two elder siblings settled after coming to England in 1950.  She is married with a blended family of six children, nine grandchildren and a great grandson.

After working for Halton Borough Council for 10 years, Cheryl worked as a refuge worker in Cheshire before relocating to Nottingham to take up the post as Refuge Liaison Officer for Nottinghamshire County Council.  Prior to becoming a councillor, Cheryl managed Nottingham Law Centre for 20 years and was also Chair of the national Law Centres Federation.

As a teenage mum, Cheryl did not have the opportunity to attend university in her younger life but took the opportunity to take a part time degree level Advanced Social Studies at the University of Nottingham, graduating with a First-Class Certificate.

Cheryl and her husband have fostered children in Cheshire and Nottingham Council as well as being involved in youth provision, giving children the opportunity to experience camping, barge boating and other holiday activities.

Cheryl was elected to Nottingham City Council, representing Bulwell Forest ward at a by-election in October 2017 and has held the portfolio for Children, Young People and Education between 2019 and 2026.  She has been a champion of the voice of the child, children in care and care leavers and is the political lead for Nottingham’s Child Friendly City initiative.

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

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 Revd Solomon Aryee-Brown

For more information, please contact the Civic Office