Ministers drop plans to impose city mayors

THE Government has abandoned controversial plans to impose elected mayors on four of Yorkshire's major cities.

Ministers are still keen for the mayors to be installed in Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Wakefield, but have agreed to stand by a pre-election pledge that a referendum should be held first so voters can decide if they want a Boris Johnson-style figure running their city.

The Government faced a backlash when local government Minister Bob Neill said the plan was for council leaders to become mayors without a public vote and then to ask residents whether they supported the change later in a so-called "confirmatory referendum".

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The plan was branded "totally undemocratic" by Leeds Council leader Keith Wakefield, while Peter Box, leader of Wakefield Council, said there was "no support" across the parties for an elected mayor. The Labour chairman of the Commons Communities and Local Government Select Committee, Clive Betts, also criticised the Government's "astonishing arrogance".

Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles has now confirmed the Government has returned to its original plan – although there is no guarantee when the votes will take place. A proposal for a Referendum Day next year – when voters in all 12 cities involved would decide at the same time – appears unlikely.

Mr Pickles told the Yorkshire Post: "The referendum will come before the decision. The reason for this is that we thought it was very important to offer an attractive package for mayors which means they will have greater powers than a leader of a council currently enjoys."

In the House of Commons yesterday, Bradford East MP David Ward claimed that forcing a referendum on cities over an elected mayor "is as bad as the imposition of elected mayors themselves".

Shipley MP Philip Davies called for the number of councillors to be cut in authorities where an elected mayor was introduced.