Liverpool has a Lord Mayor, a Metro Mayor and a council leader. The first wears the chain. The second runs a regional authority. The third leads Liverpool City Council.
That is why asking “what does the mayor do?” gets three answers before anyone has mentioned your bin.
Why people are confused
The titles sound similar, but the jobs cover different places and services. The Lord Mayor represents the city at civic events. The Metro Mayor covers six council areas across the Liverpool City Region. The leader heads Liverpool City Council's political cabinet.
Liverpool also had a directly elected city mayor from 2012 to 2023. That post has gone, but old articles, signs and memories have not all received the memo.
Short history
The Lord Mayor is the old civic role. Liverpool City Council chooses a serving councillor to hold it for one year. In 2026/27, the Lord Mayor is Councillor William Shortall.
Liverpool introduced a directly elected city mayor in 2012. Residents voted for one person to lead the council's executive. In 2023 the council moved to a leader and cabinet model.
The regional Metro Mayor arrived in 2017. Voters across Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral elect that mayor. Steve Rotheram has held the post since it began.
What people think
- The Lord Mayor runs Liverpool City Council because the chain looks expensive.
- The Metro Mayor controls every service with “Liverpool” in the name.
- The old elected city mayor is still in office somewhere behind a locked Town Hall door.
- The council leader is a senior employee rather than a councillor chosen by other councillors.
All four ideas are wrong, though the job titles have done their best to encourage them.
What is true
The Lord Mayor represents the city
The Lord Mayor is Liverpool's first citizen. The role includes chairing full council meetings, attending civic and religious events, welcoming delegations and supporting charities.
The Lord Mayor does not set the budget, run council departments or decide planning applications. Send an invitation to a civic event. Send a missed-bin report somewhere else.
The Metro Mayor leads the city region
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority brings together six local authorities and is led by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram. Its work includes transport, skills, housing strategy, economic development, regeneration and other regional programmes.
The Metro Mayor does not run Liverpool City Council. The office does not collect household waste, decide ordinary Liverpool planning applications or manage your local library.
The council leader heads the political cabinet
Liverpool's 85 councillors elect the leader. The leader appoints the cabinet, whose members hold portfolios such as finance, housing, adult social care and children's services. The council's current leader is Councillor Liam Robinson.
The cabinet is the main council decision-making body, but it does not act without limits. Full council agrees the budget and policy framework. Committees scrutinise decisions, regulatory committees handle work including planning and licensing, and officers make decisions delegated under the council constitution.
The elected city mayor no longer exists
The directly elected Mayor of Liverpool led the city council's executive between 2012 and 2023. The council now uses the leader and cabinet model. The Local Government Association records the change in 2023.
