Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool

StephenMilne Tue Jan 16, 2007 at 06:33:25 PM GMT Print-friendly version Facebook

This is a hugely exciting development in Liverpool get in touch



There's a lot of problems brewing in Liverpool and for once it's not the loony left causing it all!

The Lib Dem council seem to have made a number of clangers over a stream of multi million pound schemes including plans for a 'fourth grace' on the waterfront, a tram system for the Merseyside area and worries over the way the City of Culture 2008 preparations seem to be being handled.

All very worrying and the Council seems to be blaming, the government, quangos, civil servants in fact anyone but itself.

Liverpool has a long tradition of petty town hall politics but now is the time for strong leadership when so much is at stake.

I'm hugely impressed by what Ken has done in London and the lesser reported Ray Mallon in Middlesborough.

There is a campaign group up and running who are trying to get a referendum on the mayoral issue. If you are based in the North west get in touch with them and see how you might help.


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Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool | 11 comments (11 topical)

Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#1)

by red flagger on Wed Jan 17, 2007 at 12:08:39 PM GMT

Could the time be ready for the return of Derek Hatton? (snigger)


Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#2)

by swatantra on Wed Jan 17, 2007 at 02:33:08 PM GMT

Funny, I was just going to say the same thing!
I hear that Hatton has changed and is a bit more resposible and respectable these days.


[ Parent ]

Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#3)

by Andrea on Wed Jan 17, 2007 at 02:44:23 PM GMT

I think he's now the chairman of Riplleffect, a company set up by his son (who appeared in the TV show "That's rich")


[ Parent ]

Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#4)

by Tiberius on Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 09:57:39 AM GMT

My old stomping ground of Crewe & Nantwich rejected having a mayor last year. The Tories were in favour, Labour and the Lib Dems were against.

I don't like putting too much power in the hands of one person, though I concede that the mayor & assembly structure seems to be working for London.

In my other old stomping ground of Stoke, the new Labour mayor is pledged to hold a referendum on scrapping the post. 10,000 people spoilt their papers at the last mayoral election. Though Stoke went for the worst system of a Mayor and council manager. Meaning that the councillors can only scrutinise.


Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#6)

by swatantra on Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 10:51:18 AM GMT

Then perhaps they could scrutinise more effectively. The problem we have at the moment is that if the Executive is from just one Party, then their backbenchers don't challenge them or are afraid to for fear of rocking the boat. That same Party also takes the chairs of all the major Scrutiny Committees, including the Overall Scrutiny and Audit Committee, leaving the opposition pretty toothless. Not a recipe for good governance. So perhaps a Mayoral system would be better. At least we would know who to blame and boot out if things went wrong.


[ Parent ]

Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#7)

by Tiberius on Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 12:29:24 PM GMT

problem we have at the moment is that if the Executive is from just one Party, then their backbenchers don't challenge them or are afraid to for fear of rocking the boat.

That's why I've been against the cabinet system for local government from the start. The committee system was always more open and less partisan.

I'm sorry to say, this government has made a mess of local democracy.


[ Parent ]

Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#5)

by StephenMilne on Thu Jan 18, 2007 at 10:18:36 AM GMT

Believe me the people of Liverpool would NEVER vote for Degsy again, although he would liven up the campaign.

I think for the ordinary person local politics has gone incredibly stale and having a figurehead who has the power to change things and is clearly accountable if they change them too much or not enough is a good idea that is catching on.

Ray Mallon in Middlesborough has done a fantastic job and if I talk to my peer group in London EVERYONE knows the Mayor and holds him responsible for the tube, crime, the weather....but nobody has a clue who the leader of their local London borough council is.


Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#8)

by icepick on Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 12:28:13 AM GMT

hmm


Re: Directly Elected Mayors in general (#9)

by VS on Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 02:28:28 PM GMT

Am not sure directly-elected mayors are a good idea. I think that it centralises too much power in the hands of one person. As the Labour party, we should be presenting a team to the electorate for council elections, not just one person.


Re: Directly Elected Mayors in general (#10)

by swatantra on Fri Jan 19, 2007 at 03:20:00 PM GMT

The whole point of modernisation was to speed up the decision making process which was in danger of stagnating in endless Committees, peopled by faceless indiviuals not up to taking full responsibility for their decisions. With a Mayor, you know where the buck stops and can boot that individual out if their promises are not met.


[ Parent ]

Re: Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool (#11)

by Simon Morley on Thu Jan 25, 2007 at 12:17:16 AM GMT

It seems to me there should be another benefit to the party. I've not fact checked this (sorry Alex), but my recollection for US Presidents and their previous jobs is:

Roosevelt       Governor of New York
Truman          Vice President
Eisenhower      Supreme Commander Allied Powers Europe
Kennedy         Senator
Johnson         Vice President
Nixon           Vice President
Ford            Vice President
Carter          Governor of Georgia
Reagan          Governor of California
Bush            Vice President
Clinton         Governor of Arkansas
Bush            Governor of Texas

All with the exception of Kennedy had (chief - or at least secure) executive experience before the presidency. One of the problems with the British system, and I would say with this government, not that the Tories were much better, is the lack of executive experience. Some people say ministers are there to 'tell the story' but actually they are there to get things done, which includes communications, and much else as well. I'm not clear how it would work, but for Labour to be the natural party of government (which we should be - what other area would be run by people who thought what they were doing was actually a bad idea!), we need people with experience and proven ability of running things, and this is something Mayors would provide. This does beg the question why the many former Council leader MPs are not well represented as ministers, but the opportunity to become a Mayor could attract more 'can do' people into local government leadership.


Directly Elected Mayor For Liverpool | 11 comments (11 topical)