Labour 'to scrap city mayors' before vote

OPPONENTS SAY REFERENDUM WOULD BE 'POINTLESS'

- By WILLIAM TELFORD

THE Labour Government looks set to scrap elected city mayors - meaning Plymouth's upcoming referendum may turn out to be a waste of time and money. A minister said it is intended that city mayors will be abolished in favour of strategic regional mayors.

Plymouth is due to vote next month on whether it should bring in a directly elected mayor (DEM) after a hectic campaign by the group Mayor for Plymouth, led by businessman, and wife of ballerina Darcey Bussell, Angus Forbes. But, in a written parliamentary answer to a question from South West Devon Tory MP Rebecca Smith, Local Government Minister Jim McMahon said the Government aimed to get rid of DEMS - casting serious doubt over the relevance and longevity of Plymouth's upcoming July 17 referendum.

The campaign group Mayor for Plymouth sees things differently and believes Plymouth can still have an elected mayor. It accused politicians opposed to a city DEM of "spreading a false claim".

However, Mr McMahon said devolution proposals would junk city mayors in favour of strategic ones covering larger areas. He wrote to Ms Smith: "We will discontinue the individual local authority devolution model in its mayoral form."

He added: "We will continue to expand the number of areas with a mayoral strategic authority covering more than one local authority. We are giving those mayors strong new powers over housing, planning, transport, skills, employment support and more, backed up with integrated and consolidated funding."