Could Thanet have a directly elected mayor within a year?
Written by Matt B · first published 22/09/2008
Changes in the law could mean that Thanet has a Mayor before the end of 2009. Claiming
So does this mean that a directly elected mayor is likely within the next year?
It has already been suggested and debated that Thanet could be better off with an elected mayor rather than a cabinet "leader". The government position on the subject of elected mayors is that they are the "way forward" and despite Thanet District Council being run by the "other party" they may soon face a change. The force of this change comes from the fact that the government is very keen to see more people vote and with only about 30% of Thanet's population currently voting there are far more unknown votes around here than "known".
In short the swing vote could become the majority.
After all the big question many of us will be looking to see answered is how will this play out in Thanet? How will Thanet democracy change with the new Bill? Will appearances of incompetency and the rumour of corruption be replaced with a more transparent and effective system?
The White Paper aims to address issues around "lack of power and influence at a local level" ahead of the Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill (CEHER Bill) due to come before parliament in the 2008/9 session. "Local authorities will have a statutory duty to promote democratic understanding and participation" claims the Bill (Doc)
Quite how Thanet District Council handle this added responsibility is open to debate I feel.
So it is likely that even if we do not have a mayor by 2009/10 that we may see further pushing from London to see the likes of Sandy Ezekiel removed from power. It is also likely that we will see initiatives aimed at increasing the number of people voting and with that a new voice in politics as councillors seek to try and win the votes of these unknown quantities. Certainly some councillors (that have, say, been a bit lacking) might find that the party political "safe seat" becomes anything but. Dane Valley and Newington will be two particularly interesting areas to watch.
How these areas of Thanet likely to now produce an increase in votes effect the issue of an elected mayor will depend on how well campaigners are able to reach those who have traditionally not voted. They will need to explain what a directly elected mayor does and why.
A directly elected mayor has powers similar to those of the "leader" (Sandy Ezekiel, currently) in the Leader and Cabinet model local authority. Assuming a mayor and cabinet system he or she will also have the power to appoint up to nine councillors as members of a cabinet and to delegate powers, either to them as individuals, to the Cabinet as a whole or to any subcommittees. In practice it has proven unlikely to happen as the mayor remains personally accountable.
In the White Paper's "Implementation Annex" (pp 132 to 138) the time table for implementation is set out. The Ministry of Justice is to lead with the voting incentives while "Communities and Local Government" are to lead on the issue of the election of mayors. Both are time tabled to follow the CEHER Bill. This means that Thanet District Council are unlikely to be able to "fudge" the issue of incentives and are likely to have relatively little say in how things are run.
However, those keen on seeing a mayor central to the role of the Council's Cabinet may find that they will still need to push somewhat as the Conservative group is not known to support the Labour backed initiative. Dependant on the true amount of support for this idea and the level of organisation behind the campaign this Government sponsored push may be all the momentum they need.
On the other hand it is possible that a referendum may still be needed. To cause a referendum the normal procedure requires the council to request one and this has happened in 22 cases. In 14 such cases the local people have requested the referendum by petition (Southwark were forced to hold a referendum by central Government). To date there have been 37 referendums on whether to establish a directly elected mayor. Twelve have been passed and 25 rejected when it came to a public vote.
Some white papers take a little longer to be worked out if at all - in October 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government White Paper (Strong and Prosperous Communities) proposed that in future the requirement for a referendum to approve the establishment of an elected mayor for a council area be dropped in favour of a simple resolution of the council following community consultation. It also proposed the direct election of council cabinets where requested - something I know many people in Thanet would feel to be a good idea.
I wonder if this output from London will make any change. What do you think?
More Information: Summary · The White Paper · Portsmouth two page briefing summary · twitter.com/CommunitiesUK.
The state should be a platform under people’s feet, not a weight holding them downa government White Paper (p.13 "Communities in Control: Real People, Real Power" (9th July 2008)) from the Secretary of State for Communities (Hazel Blears MP) calls for a number of changes including incentives for voting and consultation on ways to make it easier to have a directly elected mayor.
So does this mean that a directly elected mayor is likely within the next year?
It has already been suggested and debated that Thanet could be better off with an elected mayor rather than a cabinet "leader". The government position on the subject of elected mayors is that they are the "way forward" and despite Thanet District Council being run by the "other party" they may soon face a change. The force of this change comes from the fact that the government is very keen to see more people vote and with only about 30% of Thanet's population currently voting there are far more unknown votes around here than "known".
In short the swing vote could become the majority.
The white paper is all about giving you a stronger voice, control, more power and influence in the system so lets start right here.says Hazel Blears MP in her introductory video. One wonders if this is the guts missing from a similar 2006 White Paper and if so will it be enough to make a change here in Thanet?
After all the big question many of us will be looking to see answered is how will this play out in Thanet? How will Thanet democracy change with the new Bill? Will appearances of incompetency and the rumour of corruption be replaced with a more transparent and effective system?
The White Paper aims to address issues around "lack of power and influence at a local level" ahead of the Community Empowerment, Housing and Economic Regeneration Bill (CEHER Bill) due to come before parliament in the 2008/9 session. "Local authorities will have a statutory duty to promote democratic understanding and participation" claims the Bill (Doc)
Quite how Thanet District Council handle this added responsibility is open to debate I feel.
The White Paper does not signify the end of work in this area. It is intended as a catalyst for change and its success will be measured over the medium term.says the offical Government webpage on the subject.
Communities in Control contains an annex which gives an indication of plans for implementation. Some elements of the White Paper will be subject to formal consultation during the summer months. We will publish a full Implementation Plan shortly.
So it is likely that even if we do not have a mayor by 2009/10 that we may see further pushing from London to see the likes of Sandy Ezekiel removed from power. It is also likely that we will see initiatives aimed at increasing the number of people voting and with that a new voice in politics as councillors seek to try and win the votes of these unknown quantities. Certainly some councillors (that have, say, been a bit lacking) might find that the party political "safe seat" becomes anything but. Dane Valley and Newington will be two particularly interesting areas to watch.
How these areas of Thanet likely to now produce an increase in votes effect the issue of an elected mayor will depend on how well campaigners are able to reach those who have traditionally not voted. They will need to explain what a directly elected mayor does and why.
A directly elected mayor has powers similar to those of the "leader" (Sandy Ezekiel, currently) in the Leader and Cabinet model local authority. Assuming a mayor and cabinet system he or she will also have the power to appoint up to nine councillors as members of a cabinet and to delegate powers, either to them as individuals, to the Cabinet as a whole or to any subcommittees. In practice it has proven unlikely to happen as the mayor remains personally accountable.
In the White Paper's "Implementation Annex" (pp 132 to 138) the time table for implementation is set out. The Ministry of Justice is to lead with the voting incentives while "Communities and Local Government" are to lead on the issue of the election of mayors. Both are time tabled to follow the CEHER Bill. This means that Thanet District Council are unlikely to be able to "fudge" the issue of incentives and are likely to have relatively little say in how things are run.
However, those keen on seeing a mayor central to the role of the Council's Cabinet may find that they will still need to push somewhat as the Conservative group is not known to support the Labour backed initiative. Dependant on the true amount of support for this idea and the level of organisation behind the campaign this Government sponsored push may be all the momentum they need.
On the other hand it is possible that a referendum may still be needed. To cause a referendum the normal procedure requires the council to request one and this has happened in 22 cases. In 14 such cases the local people have requested the referendum by petition (Southwark were forced to hold a referendum by central Government). To date there have been 37 referendums on whether to establish a directly elected mayor. Twelve have been passed and 25 rejected when it came to a public vote.
Some white papers take a little longer to be worked out if at all - in October 2006, the Department for Communities and Local Government White Paper (Strong and Prosperous Communities) proposed that in future the requirement for a referendum to approve the establishment of an elected mayor for a council area be dropped in favour of a simple resolution of the council following community consultation. It also proposed the direct election of council cabinets where requested - something I know many people in Thanet would feel to be a good idea.
I wonder if this output from London will make any change. What do you think?
In case like me you were at all unclear: A white paper is an authoritative report or guide that addresses problems and how to solve them. White papers are used to educate readers and help people make decisions. They can also be a government report outlining policy. In the United Kingdom white papers are issued by the government and lay out policy, or proposed action, on a topic of current concern. Although a white paper may on occasion be a consultation as to the details of new legislation, it does signify a clear intention on the part of a government to pass new law. By contrast, green papers, which are issued much more frequently, are more open ended. (Condensed from the wikipedia page on the subject found here).
More Information: Summary · The White Paper · Portsmouth two page briefing summary · twitter.com/CommunitiesUK.
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