Clause 39
Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill
11:45 am
Alistair Burt (Shadow Minister (Communities and Local Government), Communities and Local Government; North East Bedfordshire, Conservative)
There has to be a check on the power of the elected mayor. Certain safeguards are built in about how much power a mayor has when dealing with a local council elected at the same time and to which he must refer. It is the concentration of executive authority that is worrying. There is a balance to be struck. There are some cases where the public have spoken and directly elect a mayor. The mayor is subject to ultimate accountability by the people and in some cases we want to try that model, provided that the public have an opportunity to express their support and to change that system.
Another of our concerns about the Bill is that it is too much of a one-way street and does not give people enough power to move back from a system that they find uncomfortable. There is always the issue of the concentration of individual power, but directly electing a mayor and the way in which a directly elected mayor must work with the rest of his team make that less likely.