As Liverpool debates its future governance councillors have had their say on how a vote 180 miles away could impact its Mayoral system.
Among all the excitement of local elections here in Merseyside and across the UK, Bristol held a referendum on its elected Mayor position. That vote swung the way of a committee system of governance and will do away with the post of Mayor from 2024.
Last month, Liverpool’s own consultation got underway on the future of an elected Mayor for the city, a position re-established 10 years ago under Joe Anderson. Like Bristol, a referendum had been initially mooted but at around £500,000, was deemed to expensive.
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Current Mayor Joanne Anderson, who had campaigned for a referendum, said a consultation on the issue - priced at around £120,000 - would 'do the same job' as a referendum and get the same results. Now, households across the city have until next month to have their say on three options - leader and cabinet model, committee system, or maintaining the Mayoralty.
In Bristol, 56,113 voted to scrap the Mayoral role, with a city-wide turnout of 29%. In a bid to encourage engagement in its own consultation, ballot boxes are being placed across Liverpool's libraries and One Stop shops.
Cllr Richard Kemp, leader of Liverpool Liberal Democrats, said the result in the South West could prove to be “significant” for the city as it considers its own future. He said: “Perhaps for Liverpool people, the most significant result was a referendum result in Bristol where they overwhelmingly decided to abolish the position of elected Mayor and replace it instead with a committee system.
"That’s exactly what we’re proposing here in Liverpool. They could have a referendum on those two choices because a citizens group campaigned and got a 5% turnout to force the referendum on their terms.
"In Liverpool, a referendum was unnecessary because of the way the Mayoralty was introduced and had there been a referendum, the Labour Party would have only put the two failed systems of cabinet/leader model and elected Mayor to the people of Liverpool and would have left out the third alternative." Cllr Kemp said previously that anyone voting to retain the position of elected Mayor “would have to be mad” and said the committee system would encourage more public engagement.
He said: “We believe it’s important that as many people as possible respond to Liverpool’s consultation and support the idea, in that consultation, of the committee system. It’s the most open, honest and transparent, it will involve more councillors and by involving more councillors it will very definitely involve more people.”
The change in Bristol will be enacted in two years time and will be in place for at least a decade. Any decision taken by Liverpool Council upon the result of the public consultation that ends in June will be implemented for at least five years.
Cllr Nick Small, Labour member for Central ward, said the vote in Bristol showed that the Mayoral role was losing public interest as devolution from Westminster continues to adapt. He said: “What the Bristol vote shows is that, with Metro Mayors and the focus of devolving powers and funding having shifted to City Regions, people don't see a future role for City Mayors in this landscape.
“The same is the case in Liverpool, I strongly suspect. “It also shows why a public consultation can be a better way forward than a referendum.
“Liverpool's governance consultation is looking at 3 future models. Legally Bristol's referendum had to be a binary choice.”
