Give the North’s metro mayors a voice over virus response – Jayne Dowle

As Mr Jarvis points out, large areas of the North of England are already in lockdown, but no Northern civic leader has yet been invited to attend the Government’s emergency committee.

“If further restrictions are brought in, the Government must provide local leaders with the powers and resources needed to protect people, jobs and businesses,” he says.

Quite rightly, the leaders of the devolved regions and the Mayor of London have a seat at the table. Why then are other individuals of clear leadership ability, responsible for millions of people, still being denied the right?

This is doubly frustrating because the Prime Minister is clearly relying on unelected advisors such as Dominic Cummings to inform and guide his thinking at this crucial time.

There is no shame in admitting you need support; asking for help shows strength of character. As local lockdowns underpin his latest strategy, democratically-elected metro mayors provide the perfect conduit.

There are eight in total, representing nearly 12 million people in England, or one in five of the population.

When the pandemic began to take hold, swift, urgent action was called for. It’s understandable that, in these early days, mistakes were made, chains of command dismissed and decisions hastily taken.

A key factor in the Government assuming full control was that Labour was effectively leaderless until Sir Keir Starmer took over in April.

Six months later, and with the virus gearing up to make a potentially devastating comeback, the situation has changed.

We have all learned so much about ourselves since February. However, the Prime Minister, who came to power on a wave of popular support, only to face unimaginable challenges and his own serious illness, is stuck in his ways.

Instead of attempting to govern by soundbite and fear of fines, why doesn’t he admit that he needs to embrace a new way of doing things?

With the exception of his hero, Sir Winston Churchill, who presided over five years of coalition government during the Second World War, and the Tory-Lib Dem coalition of 2010-15, there is a reluctance in British politics to shed party allegiances.

When former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown suggested a ‘government of all the talents’ in 2007, he was roundly derided.

And do you remember at the start of the pandemic when the idea of a ‘national’ emergency government pulling on the best and most-experienced talents on all sides of the House of Commons was floated then rapidly submerged? In hindsight, many would argue that anything would be an improvement on the current Cabinet.

More collaboration would be a positive move in both and the short and long term. Involving regional civic leaders, in particular those in areas under lockdown, would draw on their expertise in getting the relevant messages across to the public.

It would also provide a clear chain of command from central to regional to local government, which would underpin a more sustained and logical approach and actually put the Government in a positive light.

As Steve Rotheram, metro mayor of Liverpool City Region, points out: “Mayors, councils, and the local NHS are all closer to the situation on the ground than Whitehall and we know the needs of our communities better.”

Although individual mayoral responsibilities differ, one central regional figurehead would provide a key point of reference for vital services such as public health, the NHS and the police. This is particularly important when it comes to test and trace, the supply of PPE and law and order.

This figurehead could also provide the missing link between central and local government in financial and administrative matters.

Whilst the Prime Minister blithely talks about launching an army of ‘Covid marshals’ onto our streets, he seems unaware of the fact that beleaguered local authorities will be expected to pay for them.

It’s probably very difficult to see this disconnect through the fish-eye lens of Westminster. This is where metro mayors could help.

If we’re still all in this together, Mr Johnson must prove it. He should 
start by swallowing his pride, forgetting political battles and bringing on board already-elected regional representatives.

There simply is no argument against it, which is probably why we haven’t heard one.

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Thank you

James Mitchinson