We do a bit of a line in Mayors of Leeds in these parts. Recent memory can recall Martin Dodgson who was Lord Mayor 22 years ago in 1983. And not far from the main door we all came in through is the grave of Sir George Goodman, Mayor of Leeds in 1836. The grave is in the corner with the houses on the one side and the grass at the back of the church hall just over the wall on the other side. According to the inscription on the side of the chest tomb he was the first mayor after the Municipal Corporations Act of 1835, an MP and Justice of the Peace. Finally he is described as “A friend to liberty; a friend to all”. It turns out that each of these tributes is significant and the more I looked into this the more that became apparent. So a bit of a history lesson to set the scene.

Before the 1832 Reform Act Leeds didn’t have an MP but places like Dunwich in Suffolk sent two to parliament. Most of Dunwich is now submerged by the North Sea, the land having been eroded so much, but even in 1831 it only had a population of 32. The 1832 Reform Act took account of the major shift in the population which had come about through the industrial revolution and so Leeds was given an MP for the first time and places like Dunwich, the so called Rotten Boroughs, lost theirs. If parliament was supposed to represent the people, then the MPs should be more equally distributed among the population.

There was a follow up piece of legislation, the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act, which meant that in 178 boroughs, Leeds being one of them, all of the ratepayers became entitled to vote in council elections for the first time. Before then it was something of a closed shop. What is more that council had the right to elect the mayor. It was seen as a great advance in democracy and the opening up of government. That this Act is celebrated on George Goodman’s gravestone is significant. He was the first mayor under this new opening up of the civic structure.

Of course equality of voting, one person one vote, didn’t come in properly until 1928 when all men and women we’re permitted to vote on an equal basis at the age of 21. We are familiar with the suffrage movement for women’s right to vote, but it is the same act that granted women over the age of 30 voting rights for the first time in 1918 that also allowed all men over 21 to vote. Before then only house owners had that right. Women’s voting age was brought in line with men’s 10 years later and both were only reduced to 18 as late as 1969.

So we have outside a snap shot in the long struggle for equal rights in this country and it turns out that the office of Lord Mayor of this city and its predecessors provides a focus for that. Far from being a symbol of privilege and status, the office of Lord Mayor of this city reminds us that power and therefore the responsibility ultimately rests with the people, because since Magna Carta in 1215 there has been a long walk to democracy going on and what we take for granted today has actually only been achieved very recently.

Today we have come to this church to join in an act of dedication around the beginning of a new year in this city’s life. That dedication is for Bill and Pat in their first month as Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, for the deputy Lord Mayor, for the members of the council and for all of us in our common life in this city and further afield. As we do this both of our readings have important things to say to us.

In the first reading (Jeremiah 28:5-9) the prophet Jeremiah gave a strong call for speaking truth, however unpalatable it might be at times. It is no use just saying things that sound nice and councillors have a responsibility to ask searching questions of the issues that touch our corporate life. We who elect them also have a responsibility to support them in this and to hold them to account in how they fulfil those duties, so the demands of truth are shared and mutually embracing. Jeremiah was warning that a prophet can only announce peace and security if peace and security are emerging. There is no room for cosy back slapping.

There are so many issues that are touched by peace and security. A city of winners and losers financially has many challenges to tackle. A city where the BNP attract votes has to keep vigilant and continue to nurture a cohesive society. A city that is vibrant and has become a regional centre for legal and financial firms can lead the way if it chooses to do so, setting the standard for others to follow.

In the second reading (Matthew 10:40-42) Jesus took his followers to the heart of how they hear the messages they receive. Welcoming prophets in the name of a prophet and a righteous person in the name of a righteous person means that we are to assess where a message is coming from. If it is genuine and filled with truth and honesty, the assumption behind his rhetoric, then we should receive the messages with ears that honour truth and honesty. That truth and honesty will lead to justice because justice is truth in action. He gives a graphic example for a hot and dry day - ‘whoever gives a cup of cold water to one of these little ones’ - will be blessed. Compassion flows from those who honour truth and justice.

So our readings honour truth, they proclaim the challenge of peace and security so that it is real, and they demand justice so that all are drawn into this life enhancing celebration. If we allow it, the office of Lord Mayor can take us to the foundations of our democratic rights and responsibilities because it has itself been shaped by the long journey that gave us them. These rights and the responsibilities that go with them are shared and we are mutually accountable for them. In our act of dedication today we affirm under God our intention to pursue this vision.

© Ian Black 2005

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