The Mayor of Camden’s Christmas appeal

Can you spare a gift for someone in need this Christmas?

The Mayor’s annual appeal has started we are collecting for families in need in our borough and also for teenagers leaving care.

Any gifts of toys, toiletries, clothes or vouchers are greatly appreciated. Presents will need to be checked by trading standards before being delivered to local children through our family service and social work teams. We ask, therefore, that you do not wrap your donations.

As well as collecting gifts for young people, the Mayor is asking for donations for the homeless in line with her chosen charity for the year, Camden Music Trust.

The Mayor’s appeal will be accepting donations until Wednesday 19 December. Please drop off your donations at one of the following locations:

• 5 Pancras Square, N1C 4AG
• Crowndale Centre, NW1 1BD

You can also order donations online and deliver to: The Mayor’s Office, Crowndale Centre, 218 Eversholt Street, NW1 1BD

An evening with Sir Michael Palin
Lauderdale House, Highgate Hill, N6 5HG
Friday 8 March, 7.30pm
A wonderful opportunity to spend an evening with the acclaimed actor, writer, comedian and story teller. Michael will explore places and poems at this fundraising event in the recently refurbished Lauderdale House. Tickets: £15 (plus booking fee) via Eventbrite.

Mayor’s fundraising dinner
Bleeding Heart restaurant, The Crypt, St Etheldreda’s, Ely Place, Hatton Garden
Thursday 28 March, 7pm
The Mayor invites you to join her at the magical medieval Crypt in Ely Place, adjoining Bleeding Heart Yard. Superb food, wine and service in this beautiful historic building. The 600 year old Crypt at St Etheldreda’s in the heart of London is one of London’s hidden gems. King Henry VIII held his three-day wedding feast in 1531. Tickets via: mayor@camden.gov.uk, phone: 020 7974 1989 or cheque (made payable to `London Borough of Camden’ and write “Mayor’s Charity” on the reverse). Price: £85.

An Evening with Baddiel & Banks
Lauderdale House, Highgate Hill, N6 5HG
Friday 26 April, 7pm
A rare chance to spend an evening in conversation with David Baddiel and Morwenna Banks. 
Tickets available from March. 

Make a donation

As well as attending a charity event, you can also donate to the Mayor’s charity.

Donate to the Mayor’s charity

Make cheques payable to ‘The London Borough of Camden’ with ‘Mayor’s Charity’ on the reverse of the cheque and post to The Mayor’s Parlour, The Crowndale Centre, 218 Eversholt St, NW1 1BD

Each year the Mayor will attend around 500 engagements. Attendance at an event depends on the Mayor's availability and if the Mayor is unable to attend the Deputy Mayor may be asked to attend (subject to his or her availability). All engagements have to be checked against the Mayor's personal diary.

Please request the Mayor's attendance at an event or engagement in good time (requests with less than three days notice will be refused).

Where possible, please phone in to check whether the date is available before requesting the Mayor's attendance. We can note your date in the diary to avoid double bookings.

When your request is received in the office we will confirm the Mayor's availability in writing and, if the Mayor is able to attend, we will send you an engagement form to complete. Please return this form at least seven days before the engagement date.

Request the Mayor's attendance online

Mayoral protocol

Protocol - helpful hints leaflet (PDF)

When writing to the Mayor, the appropriate form of address is:

Councillor Jenny Headlam-Wells

At the beginning of a letter:

Dear Councillor Headlam-Wells

When introducing the Mayor, she should be referred to as:

The Mayor of Camden, Councillor Jenny Headlam-Wells

After formal introductions she can be addressed as:

Madam Mayor

Her Consort should be referred to as:

Robin Headlam-Wells

The Mayor’s escorts should be referred to by their name.

Mayoral protocol

Protocol – Helpful Hints Leaflet (PDF)

How does the Council decide who should be Mayor?

The Mayor is a serving councillor elected to the office for one year by fellow council members at the Annual General Meeting of the Council in May each year.

What is the difference between the Mayor and the Leader of the Council?

The Leader of the Council appoints the 9 members of the Cabinet, this is the group of councillors who are responsible for taking many of the decisions about how the Council’s services are delivered. The Leader is also chair of the Cabinet.

The Mayor of the Council must be an elected member of the Council, and holds office for one year until the next mayor is elected. The election of Mayor takes place as the first item of business at the Annual Meeting.

The Mayor is the civic representative of the Council and has no formal power on decision making except to chair the Council meeting where they must:

• uphold and promote the purposes of the Constitution, and interpret the Constitution where necessary
• preside over meetings of the Council so that business can be carried out efficiently and with regard to the rights of Councillors and the interests of the community
• hold the casting vote in the event of a situation arising at a council meeting where political parties cannot reach a majority decision

The Mayor is also the Returning Officer for the Parliamentary elections and has the right to announce the result.

In practice, these functions are undertaken by the Chief Executive as Acting Returning Officer, but the Mayor can reserve the duty to receive the writ for the election and to read out the results.

What is the difference between the Mayor of Camden and the Mayor of London?

The Leader of the Council is the Leader of the political administration in Camden and is also chair of the Council's Executive. The Leader of the Council is usually the Leader of the majority party of the council. The Leader is elected by Full Council for a period of four years.

The Mayor of London sets the annual budget for the Greater London Authority; the Metropolitan Police; Transport for London; London’s main roads; regulates London’s licensed taxi service (and will also run the tube when it is handed over by central Government); London Development Agency and the London Fire Brigade.

The Mayor of Camden is the First Citizen of the borough, which is a ceremonial symbolic role with little or no formal power. The Mayor is seen as the public face of the Council. The role of Mayor is subject to a range of protocols and customs, which apply to the role, for example while in office they must serve all constituents regardless of their political support.

The Mayor of London is elected for a fixed term of four years. The Mayor of Camden is elected for a term of one year.

The origin of the office of the Mayor goes back to the days when the Mayor had much wider authority and power than they do today.

However, the importance of the position is still widely recognised and remains the highest office that the residents of Camden, through their elected representatives, can confer. The Mayor should be non-political and must be seen to represent every section of the community regardless of political persuasion.

The Mayor is the borough’s first Citizen and represents Camden at some 500 engagements during the year in addition to chairing Council meetings.

Within the borough the Mayor takes precedence over everyone apart from a member of the Royal Family.

The role of the modern Mayor is to reflect the aims and strategies of the Council.

The Mayor’s Office provides a high level of comprehensive administrative and advisory support to the Mayor. If you want to invite the Mayor to your event please contact the Mayor’s Office. We will be happy to discuss it with you.

Contact The Mayor's Office

Office opening hours

The office is open from 9.30am to 5.30pm. There are times when staff are unable to answer the telephone because they are working at a Mayoral event or function. During these times and outside normal working hours you can leave a telephone message. This will be answered within one working day, or the next working day if a voicemail message is left after 5.30pm or during the weekend.

Email: mayor@camden.gov.uk

What we do

For Mayoral engagements we will:

• respond to all requests for the Mayor to attend engagements within ten working days enclosing an engagement from for completion and return. The engagement form will give you details on protocol and advice on how to address the Mayor.
• plan and organise Mayoral and other major civic functions.
• arrange receptions in the Mayor's Parlour which will be hosted by the Mayor on behalf of other departments or organisations
• plan and organise the annual programme of events and visits at outside functions for the Mayoralty
• ensure the Mayor is fully informed about all engagements and has the full regalia (dress) as appropriate
• ensure that a weekly diary of the Mayor's engagements is circulated to all Members, Chief Officers of the Council, local police stations and local press
• take the lead in all partnership arrangements on behalf of the Mayor
• strive to ensure that the Mayor's engagements are representative of all sections of the community

How you can make a complaint

We aim to give you a high quality service by getting things right first time. If you are not happy with our service, please write to:
The Mayor's Officer
Room 102
Camden Town Hall
Judd Street
London WC1H 9JE

Our office will investigate your complaint and give you a response within 10 working days. You will also receive a copy of the Council's complaints procedure. If you are not happy with our response, you will find out what to do next in the copy of our complaints procedure.