[1] The mayor of Wigan as the 'First Citizen' has highest precedence unless a member of the royal family is present.

As the elected representative of the borough, the mayor acts as focal point for the community as well as promoting the borough and forging national and international links, which includes continuing links with the Mayor of Angers in Western France as the twinned city.

When in office, other duties include receiving members of the Royal Family and other state visitors, attending ceremonies and engagements of charities as representative that take place within or out of the borough.

The mayor also leads the service on Remembrance Sunday at the cenotaph of Wigan Town Centre in November.

The current mayor is Kevin Anderson, who was elected by the council general assembly and officially inaugurated on 25 May 2023.