Report hails achievements of elected mayors
The UK’s first elected mayors have been a success, a new report claims.
The New Local Government Network says that the 12 English mayors have made significant improvements, despite fears about their efficiency.
The study calls for the system to be introduced in big cities across Britain and reveals that 57 per cent of people surveyed knew the elected mayor’s name, an awareness rate twice that of traditional council systems, the BBC reports.
Middlesbrough’s mayor Ray Mallon, a former police chief, cut crime by 18 per cent in his first year, while Hartlepool’s mayor Stuart Drummond, who ran for office as the local football team mascot, has introduced policies to clear streets of litter, abandoned cars and graffiti.
The UK’s best-known elected mayor, Ken Livingstone, has introduced a congestion tax in London, promoted numerous cultural projects and festivals, expanded the bus network and pedestrianised Trafalgar Square during his time as London Mayor.
The New Local Government Network, an independent think-tank, insists that the elected mayors have made tough decisions, including the closure of schools and care homes.
The report recommends that voters are asked in this year’s local elections if they want a referendum on having an elected mayor in their area.
Anna Randle, head of the New Local Government Network and author of the report, said: “Regardless of how each individual mayor is performing, their increased visibility as ‘mayor of the area’ is influencing how people judge their performance.
“Such a profile has the potential to strengthen democratic accountability,” she added. “It is clear that many good things are emerging in the mayoral authorities and that the main fears expressed about the model, both before and in the light of the elections, have not emerged in practice.”
