The Mayoralty was reinstated to North Petherton Town Council in 1974 since when more than many residents have held the position. The Mayor, who chairs Town Council meetings, is elected at the Annual Council Meeting in May and confirmed at the Mayor Making ceremony where the new Mayor swears an oath of office, and proposes a deputy for the year, who is then elected.

The Mayor’s chain of office is worn at official Town Council occasions, or when the Mayor is attending other events representing the town. Usually an invitation to another town will specifically request that chains be worn, but if not it is tradition for the Mayor to ask permission to wear the chain in someone else’s territory. The local Mayors are often referred to as the “Chain Gang”.
Traditional protocol is that if the Mayor is female, her husband or nominated partner for the mayoral year is referred to as the “Consort” and if the Mayor is male, then the partner is the “Mayoress” – although North Petherton Town Council would prefer partners of the Mayor to self identify however they choose. The Mayoress or Consort gets to wear a smaller chain of office.

The parish of North Petherton became part of the Bridgwater rural district in 1894 and of Sedgemoor district in 1974.

A parish council was created in 1894. A town council headed by a town mayor replaced the parish council in 1974.