Elected Mayor Petition Options

[Richard Garvie]

I just wanted to ask if any of those who support the mayor system would like to help with a petition? This is not a party political petition, as far as I know two other political parties have requested information about forcing a referendum. Hundreds of people have already signed up, and the target date for submission is early February. I am personally planning to do Hungerford this Saturday with some colleagues, and Newbury on Friday and Saturday evening. There will be people in Newbury on Saturday daytime too.

The purpose of this petition is not because it's neccessarily my view or anyone in the Labour Party locally. We have decided to carry out this petition after the current administration refused to carry out a proper consultation on the leadership models available to the council. In correspondance with the leader of the council, I requested that the leadership decision be delayed so that a proper consultation could be carried out. I was told to "include it in my manifesto if it is something I care about". This shouldn't be about what I think, or what Graham Jones believes. There is a lot of support for the mayor option and it's only right that the general public should be allowed to have their views heard.

I would like to think all parties will be supportive of staging this referendum, especially the Lib Dems who are supposedly all for proportional representation. An elected mayor system would mean that the leader of the council would be elected by a large percentage of the district rather than 800 votes in one ward. The directly elected leader would also be accountable for when things go wrong, unlike at present when nobody seems to be accountable. Do you think Graham Jones would have closed the Ormonde Centre and Hillcroft House if he was accountable to the whole district? No, I don't think so either.

If you are available to assist with the petition, my mobile number is 07593 278690 or you can email richard.garvie@googlemail.com

[Richard Garvie]

The cost of the mayor would be absorbed by additional expenses paid to the leader and the abolition of the Chairman of the council role and the tens of thousands of pounds that it costs us. We may even be slightly better off, it would depend on what the administration in charge after the referendum decided to award to the post in terms of salary. There is a cost for the referendum, and it could be around £25,000. That is regrettable, but had the consultation been conducted to include all option, there would have been no additional cost.

With regards to accountability, if the Mayor or Cabinet had misled the public or acted in what appears to be a dishonest way, would you vote to keep that mayor? As it is, Graham Jones is leader of the council and even if everyone in Newbury and Thatcham voted against the Conservatives, he could still be leader of the council. If it was the directly elected mayor model, those votes may be worth more than what he got elsewhere and we may get another person leading the council. It's a more proportional system than what we have now, Cameron and the Conservatives are rolling them out over the uk and O would have thought our local conservatives would be inline with their party nationally. I think the Lib Dems will support it too, given the fact that they claim to want a more proportional voting system.

[dannyboy]

So not really accountable then. Unless you are thinking of having Mayoral elections every time there is a **** up.

And you have the cost of a full Mayoral election too.

[blackdog]

So not really accountable then. Unless you are thinking of having Mayoral elections every time there is a **** up.

And you have the cost of a full Mayoral election too.

The accountability of all politicians is limited to the ballot box (or the courts in a few cases), it is not likely that a local mayor would be any different.

However, a mayor would be a bit more accountable than our current councillors - who are rarely elected as personalities, more as party representatives. There is no reason why a popular individual should not be elected mayor, regardless of party affiliation (or lack of it).

There would, of course, be a cost to the election, but not a huge one if it was done at the same time as the council elections.

[dannyboy]

The accountability of all politicians is limited to the ballot box (or the courts in a few cases), it is not likely that a local mayor would be any different.

However, a mayor would be a bit more accountable than our current councillors - who are rarely elected as personalities, more as party representatives. There is no reason why a popular individual should not be elected mayor, regardless of party affiliation (or lack of it).

There would, of course, be a cost to the election, but not a huge one if it was done at the same time as the council elections.

Exactly - a bit more accountable. Hardly worth the bother.

We might end up with a Boris Johnson.

[On the edge]

Exactly - a bit more accountable. Hardly worth the bother.

We might end up with a Boris Johnson.

How dreadful - things might start to happen!

[dannyboy]

How dreadful - things might start to happen!

I'm sure they would. But no way to stop them....

[Richard Garvie]

I'm sure they would. But no way to stop them....

That's where you are wrong. Full council will get to vote on all of the big decisions, including ratifying the budget. Mayors can also be recalled by the electorate, wheras there is no way for the public to recall the leader of the council using the strong leader system.