The Court of Common Council consists of elected representatives who are designated as Common Councilmen and Aldermen. This Court, the head of which is the Lord Mayor, can be traced back to Saxon times and forms the governing body of the City which normally meets at the Guildhall on the second Thursday of each month to conduct the everyday business of the City under their control.
There is also a Court of Aldermen over which the Lord Mayor (also an Alderman) presides and that Court is responsible for matters relating to the Livery Companies in the City amongst other things. Each year the Liverymen of the City elect two of the Aldermen, one of whom one will be selected by the Court of Aldermen to be Lord Mayor each year.
The number of Councilmen (between 2 and 10) is determined by the relative size of each Ward, who serve on the Court of Common Council which totals 100 Councilmen. The two common councilmen elected in March 2025 for Billingsgate Ward are Melissa Collett and Nighat Qureishi.
