On 12 July a small council on the edge of London made political history. The people of Watford produced the country’s first ‘yes’ vote in a local referendum that will pave the way for the election of its own executive mayor. The popular endorsement of this new and radical form of governance has ensured that the concept of elected mayors will move from theory to reality when it comes to leading our towns and cities.
The Watford result signals the beginning of a reform process which will gather pace over the next few months and potentially bring about a significant shift in the balance between today’s Westminster-centric politics and tomorrow’s pluralist Britain. Referenda are being held in several local authorities over the autumn and many, including Lewisham, Middlesbrough, and Brighton and Hove, will be testing public opinion on 18 October, already being billed ‘Democracy Day’. ‘Yes’ votes in these referenda will secure the creation of the first directly elected mayors outside the Greater London Authority by May 2002.
So what persuaded the voters of Watford to decide to move to the mayoral model? Record low turnouts – Britain now has the lowest local election turnout levels in the European Union – have been one of the most visible and obvious signs of the need for a new, dynamic political leadership to bridge the gap of disconnection between political elites and the local electorate. Voters regularly complain they do not know who their councillors are (less than 5 percent of people can name the leader of their local authority), that narrow political party interests often acts against the interests of the welfare of the community and that voting won’t change anything.
The elected mayor model offers the potential for a reinvigoration of local political leadership; in short, an opportunity to enable voters to identify with, and hold to account, an individual who represents the body politic and, with a secure mandate, has the potential to transcend the pressures of narrow day-to-day party politics.
Such improvements under the mayoral system are demonstrable across the world, both in cities and smaller towns. Frank Sartor has confirmed Sydney’s reputation as a global city through the success of its Millennium celebrations and the 2000 Olympics, while Georges Freche has transformed Montpellier into a large buzzing cultural centre with new private investment, a new tram system and sports stadium and massive improvements in council housing.
Just think of the identification of New Yorkers with Rudi Giuliani – a connection made by the public even on this side of the Atlantic – and the impact that he has had in helping to reverse the decline of a great world city through his power and popular policies to combat crime. In an era of globalisation and vigorous competition for economic investment, mayors provide an important and powerful advocacy role. Just imagine the effect an elected mayor for Birmingham might have on its bid to be the host city for the new national stadium.
No-one is claiming that voter turnout and the popularity of local government under the elected mayor model will be transformed over night. However, with local debates already running in several authorities holding referenda this autumn over potential candidates, and even a few members of the London-obsessed national media beginning to take note, the future for local government is already starting to take on a very different shape.