On Wednesday 2^nd May we are holding a couple of last minute briefings on the arguments for and against a Directly Elected Mayor for Bristol. For the purposes of the debate I am giving arguments against the move to a Mayor. For the avoidance of doubt, that doesn’t mean that I am personally against the idea of a Mayor. But someone had to put the arguments against! Here is the text accompanying what I am planning to say – or at least I’ll say as much of this as I can fit in to the time available!

One of the key things that I would like to get across is that it is important that people vote, and that they vote on the basis of which model of local government they think should be used. We face profound questions regarding how best to govern the city so that it realises its potential. It would be unfortunate if people used the referendum simply as a chance to vote against the Coalition government or the Liberal Democrats.

Arguing against an Elected Mayor Continue Reading →

The Government has presented Bristol with a decision of profound significance. A choice that has the potential to transform the city’s future. Next May we will be asked to vote on whether we want an elected mayor.  Similar votes will occur in a number of other great British cities. The debate over the merits of a city mayor has yet to achieve a high public profile locally. But it will – or, at least, should – gather momentum over the coming months.

I spent today at the Watershed at the Should Bristol have an elected mayor? event organised by the Festival of Ideas. There were presentations from academics and researchers, local councillors and local MPs, and members of the local business community. We also had some high profile visitors from out of town – Joanna Averley from Centre for Cities; Lord Adonis of the Institute for Government; Sir Steve Bullock, Mayor of Lewisham; and, as the headline act, Ken Livingstone. There was a decent amount of time given over to audience comment and questions, and audience members posed some probing questions about the role a mayor might play in the future governance of the city.

Whether by accident or design, the spectrum of views represented on the stage and from the floor was weighted heavily in favour of a city led by an elected mayor. Nonetheless, several people were rightly concerned about precisely how a mayor would fit into the landscape of local government, accountability and efficiency, and the dangers of populism.

It may be that the spectrum of opinion at this event was not representative of opinion among the broader electorate of Bristol. It may well be that a sizeable proportion of the electorate of Bristol have never given a moment’s thought to the desirability or otherwise of an elected mayor. No doubt many people are not yet aware that there is a vote heading their way.

My aim here is not to review today’s event or the arguments for and against an elected mayor. All I’ll say is that I found the day very stimulating.

My aim here is rather to reflect on how we foster a rational and informed debate more widely. We need to raise people’s consciousness not only that this issue is on the agenda, but also what is at stake. How do we get people to engage and to explore the potential? Continue Reading →