Petition launched for referendum on whether there should be a Mayor for Cornwall
If it gets more than 5,000 signatures then it will be debated at a full council meeting
A petition has been launched to allow Cornish residents to have a say on whether there should be a Mayor for Cornwall.
The petition, which has more than 100 signatures, is calling for a referendum on whether Cornwall should have a directly elected mayor.
Let Cornwall Decide is the group which has launched the petition and includes councillors and individuals including Independent Cornwall councillor Tim Dwelly and Conservative councillor John Conway.
Cornwall Council is currently working with the Government to secure a new County Deal which would provide further devolution of powers and responsibilities to Cornwall. However the Government has indicated that the top level of devolution will only be available to areas which have a directly elected mayor.
However, critics say that there is no need for a Mayor, that the system is unsuited to Cornwall, that it would add to bureaucracy and could cost the taxpayer. Supporters have said that in order to secure the powers sought by Cornwall it could be necessary to have a mayor.
It was indicated at a meeting of Cornwall Council earlier this month that no decision on whether Cornwall should have a mayor would be made until the autumn at the earliest.
But there are concerns about who might make that decision – Let Cornwall Decide has called for a public referendum rather than placing the responsibility with the 87 Cornwall councillors.
Those opposed to a public vote claim that it would cost more than £1million, though supporters say that this would be outweighed by the long term potential cost of a mayor.
Other parts of the UK do have elected Mayors including Greater Manchester, London and Bristol – however in those areas they oversee a number of different local authorities, in Cornwall there is just the unitary authority and critics suggest that it would only duplicate what is already in place in Cornwall. Cornwall Council is currently operated on a leader and cabinet system.
On their Facebook page Let Cornwall Decide highlight that Cornwall Council previously set out a clear argument for why there should not be a directly elected mayor. In the Case for Cornwall document it states: “The mayoral model is considered to not be the right model for Cornwall.”
It goes on to say: “There is no demonstrable benefit from forgoing an established, visible and democratically accountable leadership model which works for Cornwall for another model in the form of an elected Mayor who will be significantly removed from the wider electorate in the communities in Cornwall.
“Cornwall is a unique place and its geography, economy and demographic profile distinguish it significantly from cities where a Mayoral model may be appropriate. It is understood that there is generally no appetite for a Mayoral model covering the whole of Cornwall and that there will be community resistance to the imposition of that model.”
And it adds: “The community bond that is created by the everyday work that is undertaken by the council’s members would risk being diluted by a shift of power to an elected Mayor. The interaction between the central governance structure in Cornwall and local communities has been carefully nurtured and, with the checks and balances in that structure, the representative leadership is inclusive, measured and held to account ensuring that the decisions we make are the right decisions for our communities. That will not be the same with an elected Mayor who will be too far removed from the communities of Cornwall.”
The document concludes: “There is also concern that this will be an unnecessary burden on the public purse with a new office holder at a likely significant income as well as the likely additional office and secretariat costs.”
As an indicator on costs it was reported in the Bristol Post that Bristol mayor Marvin Rees was paid £80,870 in 2020/21 and that the overall costs of the Mayor’s office and staff could be as much as £1.5m a year.
The petition from Let Cornwall Decide can be found at https://www.change.org/p/mayor-of-cornwall-referendum-let-cornwall-decide
The final petition will be presented to Cornwall Council. If it gets more than 5,000 signatures then it will be debated at a full council meeting.