| Year | Mayor | Party |
| 1935/6 | H T Wing | Conservative |
| 1936/7 | W L Briggs | Labour |
| 1937/8 | E S Peck | Conservative |
| 1938/9 | A A Spalding | Conservative |
| 1939/40 | W J Wing | Independent |
| 1940/1 | E O Brown | Conservative |
| 1941/2 | Sir M Butler | University |
| 1942/3 | Sir M Butler | University |
| 1943/4 | W L Briggs | Labour |
| 1944/5 | G Wilding | Conservative |
| 1945/6 | Lady Bragg | Independent |
| 1946/7 | F Doggett | Conservative |
| 1947/9 | G F Hickson | University |
| 1949/50 | W G James | Conservative |
| Year | Mayor | Party |
| 1950/1 | A C Taylor | Conservative |
| 1951/2 | H O Langdon | Conservative |
| 1952/3 | S T Bull | Conservative |
| 1953/4 | T H Amey | Labour |
| 1954/5 | H R Mallett | Conservative |
| 1955/6 | E T Halnan | University |
| 1956/7 | C E Ridgeon | Conservative |
| 1957/8 | B J S White | Conservative |
| 1958/9 | L D V Wordingham | Labour |
| 1959/60 | W Cole | Conservative |
| 1960/1 | C A Mole | Conservative |
| 1961/2 | A Halcrow | Conservative |
| 1962/3 | G F Hickson | University |
| 1963/4 | J B Collins | Conservative |
| 1964/5 | P J Warren | Labour |
| 1965/6 | H G Ives | Liberal |
| 1966/7 | M N Bradford | Conservative |
| 1967/8 | E A Gill | Labour |
| 1968/9 | H C Finbow | Conservative |
| 1969/70 | G Dean | Conservative |
| 1970/1 | B Cooper | University |
| 1971/2 | Jean Barker | Conservative |
| 1972/3 | P C Wright | Labour |
| 1973/4 | S C Bowles | Conservative |
| Year | Mayor | Party |
| 1974/5 | P J Warren | Labour |
| 1975/6 | R May | Labour |
| 1976/7 | R E Wright | Conservative |
| 1977/8 | M J Garner | Conservative |
| 1978/9 | A Molt | Labour |
| 1979/80 | D R H Mackay | Conservative |
| 1980/1 | Doris Howe | Labour |
| 1981/2 | P O Reed | Conservative |
| 1982/3 | P J Cowell | Labour |
| 1983/4 | Betty Suckling | Conservative |
| 1984/5 | E G Cowell | Labour |
| 1985/6 | A J Johnson | Conservative |
| 1986/7 | J R Woodhouse | Labour |
| 1987/8 | T G W Sweeney/P J Cowell | Labour |
| 1988/9 | Lavena Hawes | Liberal Democrat |
| 1989/90 | J R Woodhouse | Labour |
| 1990/1 | Dr G A Reid | Conservative |
| 1991/2 | P J Cowell | Labour |
| 1992/3 | B S Gardiner | Labour |
| 1993/4 | A MacEachern | Labour |
| 1994/5 | Joye Rosenstiel | Liberal Democrat |
| 1995/6 | Dr Sonja Froggett | Conservative |
| 1996/7 | J Durrant | Labour |
| 1997/8 | Daphne Roper | Labour |
| 1998/9 | Peter Cowell | Labour |
| 1999/00 | Richard Smith | Labour |
| 2000/1 | Evelyn Knowles | Liberal Democrat |
| 2001/2 | Christopher Lakin | Liberal Democrat |
| 2002/3 | Philippa Slatter | Liberal Democrat |
| 2003/4 | David White | Liberal Democrat |
| 2004/5 | Robert Dryden | Labour |
| 2005/6 | John Hipkin | Liberal Democrat |
| 2006/7 | Robert Dryden | Labour |
| 2007/8 | Jenny Bailey | Liberal Democrat |
| 2008/9 | Michael Dixon | Liberal Democrat |
| 2009/10 | Russell McPherson | Labour |
| 2010/1 | Sheila Stuart | Liberal Democrat |
| 2011/2 | Ian Nimmo Smith | Liberal Democrat |
| 2012/3 | Sheila Stuart | Liberal Democrat |
| 2013/4 | Paul Saunders | Liberal Democrat |
| 2014/5 | Gerri Bird | Labour |
| 2015/6 | Robert Dryden | Labour |
| 2016/7 | Jeremy Benstead | Labour |
| 2017/8 | George Pippas | Liberal Democrat | /TR>
The first two columns of the above table repeat what appears (or will in due course appear) at the top of the stairs outside the Guildhall Council chamber. This includes the now somewhat quaint way of distinguishing the genders before 1998.