Debate on a mayor for York called

A YORK business leader is calling for a debate on whether the historic city would benefit from having an elected mayor.

Andrew Lindsay, a partner with law firm Denison Till and a director of the Chamber of Commerce for Leeds, York and North Yorkshire, believes that York is in danger of losing out to other towns if “radical steps” aren’t taken to ensure short-term and future business challenges are met head on.

Mr Lindsay warns that the city could suffer disproportionally to other Yorkshire towns as he fears a lot of local jobs in the public sector are going to be lost in the coming years as spending cuts take their toll.

He said that the city’s four biggest employers were in the public sector and that the private sector would have to be able to take up the slack when redundancies were made.

“To do that we really do need to be light on our feet and more responsive to the needs of business to secure future employment and to make York more of an attractive place, in which to invest,” Mr Lindsay continued.

The commercial solicitor also voiced concerns over “bureaucratic constipation” to do with planning issues.

“York is a complex city,” he admited.

“And I appreciate the issues of keeping its heritage but four major planning applications have been turned down in recent years putting the city at a competitive disadvantage.

“Environmental and economic progress can go hand in hand. Developing the city should be regarded as a good thing – not an apology. The city can’t be kept in aspic.”

Mr Lindsay added that York was perceived as a wealthy city but that it needed a diverse economy just like any other city and couldn’t just rely on tourism.

“Doing nothing and leaving things as they are isn’t going to cause a sudden crisis, but it feels like death by a hundred cuts. In the long-term the city will suffer and fall behind,” he warned.

He believes that a mayoral system will lead to quicker and more effective decision making. More importantly, the city’s residents would be able to elect someone with the appropriate vision, skill and experience needed. They would also be accountable.

“There are some very good councillors in York and I have met quite a few of them but most of them seem to come from public sector backgrounds,” he continued.

“However well intentioned and hard working they may be, I do not think there is enough private sector business experience amongst them, or an understanding about how urgent the current economic issues facing York actually are to ensure the city remains competitive and does not lose jobs to other regions.”

Mr Lindsay said that he had spoken to other firms who backed the idea but that he was curious to see whether the city had a real appetite for change.

“I don’t want any special privileges for business and contrary to the views of some councillors, the business community cares passionately about the environment,” he added.

“We want employees to have fulfilling and well paid jobs, we want them to have good homes that they can afford, and we want people to be able to move around the locality easily, safely and cheaply. An elected mayor might well be able to bang a few heads together to help achieve this.”

Do you think York would benefit from electing a mayor? What benefits do you think the mayoral system could deliver?