Mayors and the Localism Bill: An open letter to the Department for Communities and Local Government

The Institute for Government has consulted widely on the mayoral model proposed in the Localism Bill. We engaged in conversation with stakeholders and experts through:

• Visiting the 11 cities that will be holding a referendum on the mayoral model in 2012. We talked to business leaders, local newspaper editors, voluntary sector representatives, local politicians, MPs, university vice chancellors and local authority chief executives 
• Conducting a roundtable discussion which brought together local government practitioners and academic experts on local government and the mayoral model, both in England and internationally.

The Institute has also been conducting research into the effectiveness of the existing mayoral authorities and the relationship between economic growth and local governance structures.

This consultation and research has allowed the Institute to build up a rich picture of the state of governance in our major cities, the advantages and risks of mayoral governance, and the shape of the public debate. This briefing note provides the Institute's view on how the Localism Bill could be strengthened: to enable a smooth transition to the mayoral model; to ensure more appropriate powers for mayors, and to enable better integration of mayors within the current local governance landscape.