Joined
·
4,116 Posts
No, not the one with the funny hat and the bling bling
http://www.thisisleicestershire.co....ITY-MAYOR/article-2852183-detail/article.htmlThe people of Leicester are set to elect an all-powerful mayor to run the city for the first time next May.
The winner of the election – in which anyone can stand – will become one of the most powerful, directly-elected politicians in the country.
Debate has raged for months over whether to have an elected mayor, but last night the controlling Labour group on the city council backed the proposal.
Council leader Councillor Veejay Patel said: "An elected mayor will give power back to the people, rather than politicians.
"The public votes will give an elected mayor the mandate to get things done."
Voters will be consulted, although there is no need for a referendum.
If a special full council meeting gives the go-ahead, the vote would take place next May – on the same day as local elections and a referendum on a new proportional representation voting system.
At present the council leader is selected by fellow councillors and cabinet positions are selected by the local party, meaning the leader has less influence over policy.
An elected mayor will select his or her own cabinet to control every policy area in the city – from schools and transport to finance and regeneration.
Leicester South MP and former city council leader Sir Peter Soulsby said: "This is very good news. It is only right that the people of Leicester should have the right to choose who they want to have the powers.
"I've long made it clear that I want to be the elected mayor of Leicester, but no doubt there'll be several people who put themselves forward for the role."
Another former council leader, Councillor Ross Willmott, will also be in the running to become the Labour candidate.
Councillor Manish Sood, the Labour parliamentary candidate who openly criticised Gordon Brown during the general election, also plans to run.
City council Tory opposition leader Councillor Ross Grant said the council was pushing it through without full public consent. He said: "This course of action seems to be driven by the personal ambition of malcontent politicians."
The honorary Lord Mayor's position in the city – currently held by Councillor Colin Hall – will remain.