This is a record of each Mayor of the borough dating from 1856.
2017–present
- Current mayor
- 2022-2023 Ali Ahmed
- 2021-2022 Aasim Rashid
- 2019-2021 Billy Sheerin
- 2018-2019 Mohammed Zaman
- 2017-2018 Ian Duckworth
1997–2017
- 2016-2017 Raymond Dutton
- 2015-2016 Surinder Biant
- 2014-2015 Carol Elizabeth Wardle
- 2013-2014 Peter Rush
- 2012-2013 James Gartside
- 2011-2012 Alan Godson
- 2010-2011 Zulfiqar Ali
- 2009-2010 Keith Swift
- 2008-2009 Robin Parker
- 2007-2008 Peter Evans
- 2006-2007 Jean Hornby
- 2005-2006 Ashley Dearnley
- 2004-2005 Angela Coric
- 2003-2004 Sultan Ali
- 2002-2003 Lil Murphy
- 2001-2002 Irene Davidson
- 2000-2001 Brian Leather
- 1999-2000 David Murphy
- 1998-1999 Harry Hardiker
- 1997-1998 Jane Gartside
1977–1997
- 1996-1997 Susan Emmott
- 1995-1996 Rodney H Stott
- 1994-1995 John E Beasley
- 1993-1994 Arnold Bagnall
- 1992-1993 Anthony Heaford
- 1991-1992 Brian Ashworth
- 1990-1991 John D Gorman
- 1989-1990 James E Littler
- 1988-1989 Ronald Taylor
- 1987-1988 James A Whitehead
- 1986-1987 Norman F Smith
- 1985-1986 Leslie Worsley
- 1984-1985 Norman J Angus
- 1983-1984 Albert Sanderson
- 1982-1983 Robert Stott
- 1981-1982 Derrick Walker
- 1980-1981 Ronald Lewis
- 1979-1980 Harold Stanley
- 1978-1979 William W Jenkins
- 1977-1978 John Connell
1957–1977
- 1976-1977 John L Albiston
- 1975-1976 John Carroll
- 1974-1975 Alfred A Kaufman
- 1973-1974 Thomas Chadwick
- 1972-1973 Ronald S Gorton
- 1972 Hugh McLeod
- 1971-1972 Joseph F Grant
- 1970-1971 John F Fox
- 1969-1970 Harry R Halstead
- 1968-1969 Edward V Holt
- 1967-1968 Henry Howarth
- 1966-1967 Cyril Smith
- 1965-1966 George S Crabtree
- 1964-1965 Florence M Alcroft
- 1963-1964 Bernard C Bowden
- 1962-1963 Alice Chorlton
- 1961-1962 Norman Ledson
- 1960-1961 Ralph Williams
- 1959-1960 John Mills
- 1958-1959 William T Quinn
- 1957-1958 Thomas Rose
1937–1957
- 1956-1957 Percival Barker
- 1955-1956 Dennis Clegg
- 1954-1955 Arthur Tweedale
- 1953-1954 Alfred G Bossier
- 1952-1953 Hugh P Shanks
- 1951-1952 William Crossley
- 1950-1951 Abraham Taylor
- 1949-1950 Harold Chorlton
- 1947-1949 F W Greenwood
- 1946-1947 N R Woolfenden
- 1945-1946 Walter Rhodes
- 1944-1945 Albert Barlow
- 1943-1944 Thomas Fairhurst
- 1942-1943 Ernest Thornton
- 1941-1942 James S Hardman
- 1940-1941 Ellis H S Scarr
- 1939-1940 Herbert Clarke
- 1938-1939 Lyon W Taylor
- 1937-1938 J A and Mary Duckworh
1917–1937
- 1936-1937 Charlie Crowder
- 1935-1936 Godfrey J Parker
- 1934-1935 Ashworth Ashworth
- 1933-1934 Thomas E Kershaw
- 1932-1933 James W Dutton
- 1931-1932 William Crossley
- 1930-1931 Charles T Thomas
- 1929-1930 John T Dawson
- 1928-1929 Charles Edward Dearden
- 1927-1928 Alfred Clarke
- 1926-1927 Charles H Bryning
- 1925-1926 Harry Wycherley
- 1924-1925 Edward Thomas
- 1923-1924 John Rodley
- 1922-1923 Thomas Butterworth
- 1921-1922 Samuel Diggle
- 1920-1921 Henry Clark
- 1918-1920 W Davidson
- 1917-1918 James Blomley
1897–1917
- 1915-17 Robert Turner
- 1913-1915 C Redfern
- 1911-1913 William Cunliffe
- 1910-1913 Sir Samuel Turner
- 1910-1911 Sir James Duckworth
- 1908-1910 Wilson Dunning
- 1907-1908 Charles Heap
- 1905-1907 Sir James Jones
- 1903-1905 Henry Fishwick
- 1900-1901 Ormerod Topper
- 1899-1900 William Cunliffe
- 1897-1899 Miles Ashworth
1876–1897
- 1895-1897 John Turner
- 1894-1895 W Hardman
- 1893-1894 James Cheetham
- 1891-1893 James Duckworth
- 1891 (1 day only) E Taylor
- 1889-1891 W T Heape
- 1887-1889 J E Petrie
- 1885-1887 J R Heape
- 1884-1885 J S Hudson
- 1883-1884 Thomas Schofield
- 1882-1883 John Harley and William Baron
- 1880-1882 William Baron
- 1879-1880 Thomas Schofield
- 1878-1879 W J Petrie
- 1877-1878 James Tweedale
- 1876-1877 Robert T Heape
1856–1876
- 1875-1876 J S Littlewood
- 1874-1875 Samuel Tweedale
- 1873-1874 Charles Whitaker
- 1871-1873 W T Shawcross
- 1870-1871 G L Ashworth
- 1869-1870 T B Willans
- 1868-1869 George Mansell
- 1867-1868 Charles Whitaker
- 1866-1867 John Robinson
- 1865-1866 Samuel Stott
- 1865-1865 John Tatham
- 1863-1864 Samuel Stott
- 1862-1863 G L Ashworth
- 1861-1862 J T Pagan
- 1860-1861 J H Moore
- 1859-1860 T Ashworth
- 1858-1859 Andrew Stewart
- 1857-1858 Robert T Heape
- 1856-1857 Jacob Bright