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No elected mayor for Stafford borough

London mayor Boris Johnson

Stafford Borough Council’s Cabinet looks set to reject an elected mayor for the borough at their meeting at the Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford on Thursday 4th November.

All local councils have been consulting on their executive arrangements, with local people asked whether they preferred a new-style leader-with-cabinet model or a directly elected mayor plus cabinet.

The consultation in Stafford borough only attracted 17 responses – with 12 going for the new leader and cabinet model, and four opting for a directly elected mayor.

A report to the Cabinet meeting on 4th November rejects the idea of a directly elected mayor.

The borough council currently operates a leader-plus-cabinet model. The new-style system would see the leader appointed for a four-year term instead of the current annual term. However, the leader could be removed from office during the four-year period by a resolution of the council.

A decision will be made at the borough council’s meeting on 30th November. Click here to see the full report to Cabinet.

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  • Christine

    Stafford Borough Council Leader Michael Heenan tells me that there has been no public consultation on having a directly elected Council Leader as the Coalitiion government told him not to as they are relooking at the legislation. So there has been no public consultation at all. The decision therefore on 4 November and on 30 November 2010 is not the final decision. We have the right to put together a petition in law for Stafford Borough Council and even for Staffordshire County Council. I have a lot of detail available for those who are interested and will be putting up a website about it in due course. So your article and that published in the front page of the Stafford Express and Star is not correct. We have a chance to bring about the greatest change in my lifetime for democracy in Stafford for local government. The Council Leader is the decision maker for the council at the head of the council cabinet of just 10 councillors. That change can happen between now and the Stafford elections on Thursday 5 May 2011 if we get enough signatures on a petition that has the force of law for granting of referendum if sufficient signatures are gained. The Stafford Council Leader did not tell me about meetings on 4 or 30 November 2010 and I emailed him about this issue. The council have had no such public consultation as the government told them not to as the legislation is being relooked at.

    As far as Stafford Borough is concerned, a petition to get a referendum for a directly elected Mayor (aka Council Leader) for Stafford Borough Council requires 4954 signatures. I have blank template copy for the petition.

    A petition signed to get a referendum for a directly elected Mayor (aka Council Leader) for Staffordshire County Council is 32847. 
    The email for you to express support for an elected Council Leader (called a Mayor and nothing to do with the ceremonial Mayor whatsoever) and exactly the same in law just that we can vote him or her in and out of office and thus is more democratic, is:

    ElectStafford’sMayor@EngDem.Org

    I have contacted Stafford MP Mr Lefroy about the issue and the main parties in Stafford. 

    Also you state the new style system would see the leader appointed for a four year term instead of the current annual term. This is entirely incorrect. The Mayor is not the ceremonial mayor, he is a directly elected Council Leader by public vote of the electorate in Stafford in full, not appointed by the ruling party of the council, which is not a western democracy model. So confusion is occurring over the names. We are trying to gain for Stafford a furtherance of democratic vote for the people. Your article is showing that the council is denying the basic right of one man (person) one vote. But that is factual incorrect, because no public consultation has happened, no petition put forward and no final decision can be made. That is up to us, the electorate. There is ‘excessive powers’ of having a directly elected Mayor. He is exactly the same legal entity as a Council Leader. It is just that we have the right to directly elect a Council Leader and confusingly he is called a Mayor. This was just to show the difference. The ceremonial mayor is nothing whatever to do with it. Hope to help in furtherance of democracy in England and in Stafford and Stone in particular. 

  • http://www.alittlebitofstone.com jamie7victor

    Hi Christine. As far as I was aware, a consultation about executive arrangements for local councils has been carried out by all district and borough councils across the country.

    The consultation was required under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 and asked local people to state a preference between an amended leader-and-cabinet model and directly elected mayor plus cabinet.

    Only 16 responses were received and the Cabinet met on Thursday to make a decision which will be recommended to full council. This is from the cabinet minutes:

    CAB48 CHANGE TO COUNCIL EXECUTIVE ARRANGEMENTS
    Considered a report relating to consultation responses on what new Executive Arrangements the Council should have and to consider what new arrangements should be proposed, as set out in Section 2 of Digest No 150 issued on 5 November 2010.
    RESOLVED:- that the proposal of the Leader of the Council be approved as follows:-That:- (a) the Council’s proposed executive arrangements should be the leader and cabinet executive model, as set out in section 11 of the Local Government Act 2000 (as amended);(b) the proposals shall be as stated in the Appendix to the report;(c) the Head of Law and Administration be authorised to publish notice of these proposals.
    THE PROPOSALS WILL BE CONSIDERED AT A SPECIAL MEETINGOF THE COUNCIL FOLLOWING PUBLICATION.
    Thanks for raising the points about the petition to trigger a referendum and good luck with your campaign.