Liverpool - 9 February 2011
From January 2011, Director of the Institute for Government Andrew Adonis is visiting the 12 cities that will hold a referendum to determine if they will introduce executive mayors. On 9 February he took a fact finding trip to Liverpool.
In 2010 Labour took control of Liverpool council with their group leader Joe Anderson becoming leader of the council. Prior to this the council had been run by the Liberal Democrats for 12 years.
In 2008, the council was awarded a one star rating by the Audit commission making it, in their view, the worst run council in the country. In the same year, the city held the prestigious title of European Capital of Culture.
The city has a colourful political history. It was a flashpoint for tensions between the militant left and Thatcher's government in the 1980s.
According to the Centre for Cities Cities Outlook 2011, Liverpool:
- is one of its five most "vulnerable" cities in the UK
- is one of the 10 slowest growing cities by population
- has the second highest welfare bill per capita
- faces the highest cuts to welfare payments per capita by 2015
- will lose the fourth highest percent of jobs as a result of public sector job losses of any UK city
- has the 8th lowest employment rate and the eighth highest claimant count of all UK cities.
Does Liverpool want a mayor?
Liverpool already has a well established yes campaign. Its website has thus far failed to get the signatures of the 5% of registered voters required to force a referendum.
A 2001 consultation exercise drew responses from 1% of the electorate. 28% of those replied expressed a first preference for the mayor and cabinet model.
In 2009 a smaller consultation drew 458 valid responses. 74% of these expressed a first preference for the elected mayor model and 26% for the council leader model.
Following his visit to the city, Andrew Adonis' has blogged about how Liverpool is responding to the idea of an elected mayor.
Liverpool skyline photograph courtesy of billy liar's Flickr photostream
