With the mayoral referendum less than a year away, it’s good to see the nascent ‘no’ campaign start to get itself established and argue the case against elected mayors. Whilst I don’t agree with their arguments, being firmly in the ‘yes’ camp and believing that an elected mayor would be beneficial for Birmingham, this is, nonetheless, a hugely important issue and something that I hope residents in the city will debate and feel involved in.
By its very nature, of course, the ‘no’ campaign will be negative; focussing on the risks of what might happen should we decide to try something new. And negativity is certainly the theme of the campaign’s arguments so far.
A fortnight ago, it was John Hemming MP arguing, perversely, that we should ‘Say No to an Elected Dictator.’ Quite how a mayor, directly elected by residents in Birmingham to implement a manifesto that would have been publicly scrutinised during an election campaign, can be called a ‘dictator’ is beyond me. Besides the fact that there are checks and balances in the system (planning/licensing regulation for example), I think it unlikely that councillors and central government would have much tolerance for a dictator. And they’d certainly struggle to be re-elected, either by their colleagues as a political candidate or by the public at the ballot box.
And today, Roger Godsiff MP implores us to vote against ‘trendy’ plans for an elected mayor, focusing on the campaigns in Stoke and Hartlepool and ignoring the success of the system in London – a city that, surely, we see ourselves as being more closely affiliated with. And is he really suggesting that having an elected mayor in London is a ‘gimmick’ or is the capital to be allowed dispensation on account of its size and importance?
He also argues that a mayor would leave councillors powerless, concentrating power in the hands of one person. Whilst the Localism Bill does need to clarify the role of councillors under the new system, it’s evident already that there will be plenty for councillors to do. They can still run for mayor, of course, as demonstrated by the Labour Leader Sir Albert Bore, one of the few declared candidates so far. They will still have the opportunity to serve in the mayoral cabinet, with the current draft of the legislation proposing that at least two councillors will sit on the executive. And with a stronger leader there will be a need for a better resourced scrutiny function with more sharply focused analysis of policy. And that’s not to mention the increasingly important role that councillors will have in their wards as power is shifted from central government to local neighbourhoods.
I sense that this will be the core argument of the ‘no’ campaign: that a powerful leader will ride roughshod over democracy and sideline elected members. And I’m confident that the public will see through it.
