ONE of the people leading the charge for elected mayors says there is a huge groundswell of support for their introduction in Coventry.
And Lord Andrew Adonis believes in the future Birmingham and its neighbours could be governed by a single, so-called ‘Metro Mayor’ in the vein of Boris Johnson in London.
Lord Adonis was speaking in Birmingham at the launch of ‘Big Shot or Long Shot’ at the office of KPMG.
The report is penned by independent charity the Institute for Government and research body Centre for Cities, outlining the arguments in favour of having an elected mayor.
The report also calls for elected mayors to become co-chairs of the new local enterprise partnership bodies, giving them a direct influence over business.
Lord Adonis told TheBusinessDesk.com: “When I visited Coventry, there was a lot of interest in the concept of an elected mayor and I was struck that a ‘yes’ campaign appears very likely.
“I know (Coventry North East MP) Bob Ainsworth has been very pro-mayor which is significant given his huge political weight.
“There will be a vibrant campaign in Coventry for a mayor but of course quite a number of sitting councillors aren’t keen on the idea.
“People there were drawing a comparison with Leicester, where Sir Peter Soulsby has just been elected with an overwhelming mandate, and I’m sure political and business leaders in Coventry will be looking at the impact a mayor has there.”
He also spoke in favour in what he called ‘Metro Mayors’ who would be in charge of a larger metropolitan region rather than just one city and its traditional local authority boundaries.
He added he was “well aware” of the historical relationship between the Black Country and Birmingham and the potential problems a Metro Mayor could throw up.
“It would be a mistake to confuse the straight forward issue of whether Birmingham and Coventry should have a mayor with the wider issue of regional institutions which might be a good idea in the medium to long term,” he added.
Nine other English cities are due to hold referendums on elected mayors in May next year – Bradford, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wakefield.
Sir Albert Bore, leader of the Labour group on Birmingham City Council, has thrown his hat into the ring by declaring yesterday he would stand as an elected mayor in 2013 should the referendum deliver a ‘yes’ vote next May.
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