Residents, businesses and charities within the twelve English cities set to vote in referendums next May are being asked how much power elected mayors should have.
Cities minister Greg Clark has launched a consultation for the twelve mayoral cities comprising Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Coventry, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wakefield.
Mr Clark said the process aimed to establish how ‘mayors can enhance the governance, provide strong and accountable democratic local leadership, while enhancing the prestige of our largest cities’.
A consultation document What can a mayor do for your city? gives cities the opportunity to tailor polices and approaches to their own circumstances and challenges, he added.
Respondents have until 3 January 2012 to put forward how powers transferred to elected mayors would benefit their city why the mayor would be the most appropriate level for devolving responsibility.
‘There’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ mayor – they should be able to do whatever it takes to get to grips with the local challenges and help their city flourish,’ Mr Clark added.
Separate discussions are being held with the eight core cities of Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield and their Local Enterprise Partnerships to identify key policy areas for supporting economic growth.
