The City of York has officially installed Councillor Martin Rowley BEM as the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of York for the 2025–26 civic year, alongside Paul Doughty as the new Sheriff of York, at a ceremony held on 22 May 2025.
Councillor Rowley takes up one of the oldest and most prestigious civic roles in the United Kingdom and is being accompanied in office by his wife, Elizabeth Rowley, as Lady Mayoress and with the new sheriff serving alongside his consort, David Smith.
This year’s civic party can be seen wearing the newly commissioned badges of office, crafted by the distinguished royal silversmiths, BJS Company Ltd, based in London. The new insignia has been designed to reflect both the heritage and future-facing identity of York’s civic traditions.
Speaking after the ceremony, the new Lord Mayor said “We have had so many positive comments about our beautiful new badges of office. My sincere thanks go to Richard Lewis and his team at BJS, for producing them to enhance our civic year.”
The Lord Mayor and Sheriff will carry out a wide range of ceremonial and community duties throughout the year, representing the City of York at local and national events whilst supporting a number of charitable causes.
