BIRMINGHAM and Coventry could discover today whether they will be getting an elected mayor.
Communities and local government secretary Eric Pickles is due to announce the details behind the Government’s Decentralisation and Localism Bill – the unveiling of which was originally planned for last Thursday.
In it, the 12 largest English cities outside London would have an elected mayor to replace their current leader and cabinet systems of local governance.
It is believed that, if adopted, mayoral elections could take place as early as May 2012.
The Localism Bill, which will be presented in Parliament today with no debate or decision, will also cover social housing reform, the devolution of power from central Government to local authorities, the new planning system and reform of the housing revenue account.
The other affected cities are Bradford, Bristol, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wakefield.
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