Elected Metro Mayors
Metro Mayors should be introduced initially in the biggest City Regions outside London: Greater Manchester, Leeds and Greater Birmingham. These Mayors would be accountable to the whole City Region, and not subordinate to component Local Authorities.
Giving Metro Mayors control over a ‘single pot’ budget for the City Region should result in savings from more efficient spending allocations. As part of the agreement to devolve the single pot, City Regions should commit to an additional proportion of savings on top of spending cuts identified by the Government.
With more financial flexibility and accountability across the real economy, Metro Mayors would be able to invest in the priorities for promoting growth across the City Region.
Metro Mayors should be given powers over transport across the City Region, as Chair of a Transport for London-style body, with control over the farebox to invest in transport improvements in priority areas.
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3 Responses to “Elected Metro Mayors”
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Key Facts
London and the three biggest city regions account for over one third of England’s jobs, and their economic importance is key to the recovery – it is these cities which form the ‘hubs’ for economic growth across the country.
Public transport is a poor relation in the major city-regions outside London. Bus trips per person have declined by over 25% in Tyne and Wear and almost 20% in Merseyside over the ten years to 2008, while they’ve risen by over 50% in London.
Investment in urban transport networks can deliver up to £3 of benefits for every £1 of public money invested. Small scale investments, such as improving a busy junction, can produce benefits in excess of £10 for every £1 spent – while integrated tickets and information integration also deliver benefits of over five times the cost.
What about Edinburgh/Glasgow?
Comment by Jake Simpson, March 28, 2010 @ 6:39 pm
Same old nonsense from Centre for Cities – just who is calling for elected mayors for city regions that don’t really exist except in geek-boy fantasy land?
Let’s start looking at the needs of ALL our cities and stop manipulating statistics to suit a particular agenda.
Comment by phil, April 10, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
I am a regular investor in UK and Liverpool property in particular and am at a loss as to why the City of Liverpool is not including in your musing above. I find Liverpool to be a world brand name with recognition equal to most major brands like Coca~Cola, Shell, McDonalds etc. Mention Leeds in these here parts (Ontario, Canada) and it is met with head scratching, Manchester is equated with the New Hampshire, USA variety and Birmingham with the Alabama version. The travel writer Bill Bryson’s description of Manchester, UK., as “an airport with a city attached” is still very relevant and, like Jake Simpson above, I want to know why no mention of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool or Belfast?
Comment by Patrick C. Taylor, April 12, 2010 @ 2:39 am