Mayor for major towns
Author: The Telegraph |
David Cameron, the Tory leader, will unveil proposals for a series of referendums across the country’s largest urban hubs, to be held on a single day, when voters will be asked whether they wish to elect a mayor to run their town or city.
Cities including Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester, which are currently run by city councils, will be encouraged to seek a flamboyant personality who voters will be able to identify with to represent them on the world stage.
Party chiefs believe that Mr Johnson, who was elected Mayor of London last year after a high-profile battle against Ken Livingstone, his Labour predecessor, has shown the potential for popular figures to capture the imagination of voters and reinvigorate local government.
At present, councils can ask the Government to allow them to have a mayorif they believe there is a desire locally for a mayor, but the Conservatives believe that a series of referendums would provide a better platform to explain the benefits of the system.
Michael Heseltine, the former deputy prime minister, has been asked to examine ways to give mayors greater powers, including a responsibility for regional development and planning, and a mission to represent and promote their city on a national and international level.