Elected Metro Mayors
Metro Mayors should be introduced initially in the biggest city-regions outside London: Greater Manchester, Merseyside, Leeds city-region and Greater Birmingham. These Metro Mayors would be highly visible and accountable, directly representing nearly 10 million people.
Metro Mayors would have control over a real economic area like Greater Manchester, not just a single local authority. Their accountability would provide a strong incentive to make decisions in the interest of city-regional economies – making the devolution of tax and spending powers more efficient.
The government should commit to shifting tax-raising powers from central government to local government, changing the balance of tax raised locally and nationally towards the OECD average. As an immediate first step, the full business rate should be re-localised to city-regions. This would allow a Metro Mayor to wield more control over a city’s finances and provide credible accountability for the local electorate. The Government should then take a fresh look at other options for local financing. For more details on how we think Metro Mayors would work, see here
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Key Facts
Local government accounts for 26% of total government expenditure (2008-09).
The OECD average for locally raised finance (through taxation) is 55%. In the UK the figure is 17%.
A greater balance of tax raising powers can provide an incentive for cities to pursue economic growth, promote fiscal discipline and improve public spending efficiency.
Join us at party conferences to debate our policy recommendations. We’ll be part of the Urban Hub at Labour, Conservative and Lib Dem conferences, running fringe panel events on transport and city jobs – further details at http://www.urban-hub.org
Comment by Centre for Cities, September 16, 2009 @ 12:34 pm
[...] all three main political parties. Virtually all incumbent city leaders hate the idea. But ‘metro mayors‘ would mark a real shift in the balance of power from Whitehall to cities, re-engage millions [...]
Pingback by England needs 'Metro mayors' | Left Foot Forward, September 21, 2009 @ 5:10 pm
Wholeheartedly agree with Metro Mayors – and indeed the rest of Manifesto. But to work in ‘Greater Birmingham’, we are going to need candidates with the ideas, force of personality and leaderships skills to make the most of new powers and budgets. So far, they’ve not stepped forward. Have blogged on the subject at http://bit.ly/FkR79.
Comment by Kevin Johnson, Urban Communications September 29, 2009 @ 12:58 pm
Switching appropriate powers and resources from Whitehall to new “sub-regional” bodies can’t happen quickly enough. Equally important, however, is the potential of “metro mayors” to bust open the anonymous, anti-democratic structures which dominate local decision-making. City regions like Merseyside need a good dose of democracy. Our reliance on RDAs, “partnership bodies”, Multi-Area Agreements etc. has undermined important democratic values like transparency and accountability. Too often , in Liverpool politics at least, responsibilty is something you dodge, rather than take. Mayors will make a difference, because they’ll have no place to hide…
Comment by Liam Fogarty, A Mayor For Liverpool October 29, 2009 @ 12:56 pm