Gordon Oliver was elected Mayor on the 6 May 2011. His term of office is for four years.

The elected Mayor has responsibility for giving direction to the council and managing the delivery of its services. He has significant decision-making powers and is the main representative for Torbay. The Mayor is elected by everyone in Torbay. He will lead the council of 36 councillors, who are elected to represent particular areas known as wards. The mayor can choose an executive of between two and nine councillors to serve on a cabinet and they are responsible for the day-to-day running of the council. The Mayor is not a councillor.

The Mayor decides which decisions he should make within the overall policies of the council and which decisions the cabinet will make, either collectively or as individual members of the cabinet. The Mayor proposes a budget and policies for the council's approval. If the council rejects these or tries to change them, the Mayor is entitled to resubmit them, at which point they can only be rejected if two thirds of the council votes against them.

Under the council's Constitution the elected mayor will be the first citizen of the borough and represent the borough at ceremonial occasions. The Council will have a Chairman to run Council meetings and from time to time represent the council at events not attended by the elected mayor.

The Overview and Scrutiny Board checks decisions, holds decision-makers to account, and reviews and makes recommendations on council policies and practices.