Councillor Pete Lowe has been appointed as the new Mayor of Dudley, taking up the ceremonial role at the full council meeting on 28 May 2026 with a theme celebrating community pride across the borough under the banner ‘BOSTIN Dudley’. The long‑serving councillor, who has represented the area for more than two decades, described the appointment as “an honour and a privilege” and pledged to champion the best of Dudley’s arts, sport, heritage and caring communities.
The Mayor has selected seven local charities to support during his year in office, shaped by his own experience of care. They include We Love Carers, Friends of Alfie Johnson, Stourbridge Town FC’s Floodlight Appeal, Gig Caritas/Busking for Charity, The What? Centre for young people aged 9–25, Stourbridge Glass Museum and Brierley Hill Baby Bank, chosen by Mayoress Su Lowe, a former health visitor. The Mayor hopes to introduce a Councillors’ Voluntary Contribution Scheme to encourage elected members to donate a portion of their allowances to the mayor’s charities.
Dudley’s first Humanist Mayor breaks new ground as Rose Cook‑Monk and Steve Anderson take up the traditional chaplaincy role as celebrants. Billy Spakemon has also been appointed as the borough’s first‑ever Mayor’s Poet Laureate, performing a short reading before each council meeting. The Mayor is supported by his wife Su as Mayoress, with councillor Adam Aston as Deputy Mayor and his partner Ben Middleton as consort.
A team of Mayoral Ambassadors has been named to promote care, sport and the arts. They include Rachael Marrey, recognised for her commitment to caring, music and arts champions Eddy Morton and Trina Keane, Jonn Penney of Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, marking 40 years since the band formed, Wolves legend Mel Eves, Black Country promoter and registered nurse Karen Westwood, and Gemma Evans of the Black Country Festival. Further details are available on the Dudley Council News website.
Councillor Lowe’s supporting cast also includes his theatre group Side by Side, the Black Country choir Gentleman Songsters, and dance troupes The Fizzogs and the Dancing Grannies, all set to champion the borough’s creative spirit throughout the mayoral year.
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