POWERFUL Boris Johnson-style mayors could be key to unlocking the future of Northern cities, according to a top Liberal Democrat.
Former Newcastle city council leader John Shipley, now Lord Shipley, has previously opposed directly elected mayors.
But now he has conceded they could be a “force for good” in terms of regenerating Northern cities.
His comments came ahead of Government-ordered referendums next May in big English cities, including Newcastle, asking voters whether they want elected mayors.
Referring to the proposal, Lord Shipley said: “There is potential for it being a force for good, particularly for regeneration for some of our Northern and Midlands cities and towns.
“The encouragement of regeneration could well be helped by the focus of that power under one person.
“An elected mayor would lead to Whitehall not being able to dominate local Government by silo-management and thinking.”
And there was a case for elected mayors if cities like Newcastle wanted to keep pace with powers being handed to London’s Boris Johnson, said the peer last night during a fringe event at the Lib Dem conference in Birmingham.
Lord Shipley said powers currently on offer to cities – for example on creating jobs and health policy – were “broadly” the same as those in London after he helped change the Government’s localism plans.
“Assuming local authorities pass the competency test, that is a financial competency test, they will be able to take a whole range of additional powers,” said Lord Shipley, who is advising Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg on city policy.
“However, in the future if you look forward to 10 years from now there is a strong possibility that a mayoral structure could encourage Government to devolve yet more.”
Signaling his own changing view on elected mayors, he said the “world is changing” with the introduction of elected police chiefs next year – and the questions raised would have to be addressed in next May’s referendums.
“For the first time, the electorate will get used to direct elections to a specific role,” said Lord Shipley, who is a councillor for the Parklands ward in Newcastle.
“And the question may well be posed as to why is it that we elect directly the police commissioner and we don’t have direct elections to the council leader.
“And why is that some other places do have the power to elect their mayor directly?” He also said some elected mayors had made a success of the role and that was a view that it was seen as more democratic, in that it gave voters a direct say over who was in charge.
And while Lord Shipley insisted he was still “pretty ambivalent” about elected mayors because of concerns over centralising power, he suggested a local cabinet structure could provide “control” over an elected mayor.
“But I do think there has to be a debate and those referendums will tell us how people are going to react,” said the peer.
