Call for directly elected mayor for Plymouth

A petition triggers £410,000 poll

A referendum is likely to be held this summer to decide whether Plymouth is brought under control of a directly elected mayor.

The Yesdemplymouth movement has submitted a petition of 13,250 signatures to the city council seeking a referendum, which is more than 3,000 over the threshold for triggering one.

The group has been organised by Angus Forbes, a former banker, environmentalist and speaker and the husband of ballerina and former Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell. The couple have lived in Plymouth for two years.

Yesdemplymouth believes a directly elected leader or mayor structure puts people and place above politics.

A referendum has to be held within six months of the petition being validated by the electoral officer of the council.

Plymouth rejected a directly elected mayor more than 20 years ago when 59 per cent of people who took part in the referendum voted against it.

Under the present system, a council leader is chosen from the ruling party by councillors at an annual meeting and this person appoints a cabinet.

Directly elected mayors can stand as individuals rather than as representatives of political parties but in many cases DEMs are already politicians and have stood under a party banner.

According to Plymouth City Council’s website the elected mayor can choose executive members from any of the council’s elected membership rather than based on a political party.

The cost of a referendum has been estimated by council officers at £410,000.

Council leader Tudor Evans (Lab, Ham) told a meeting this week if people voted in favour of having a mayor the election would be held at the same time at the next local elections in Plymouth in May 2026 and cost in the region of £80,000.

He said the council’s budget would have to be adjusted to find the half a million pounds necessary for the whole process.

He said the mayor’s salary and staff costs, which were estimated several years ago at more than £1 million, would not be met by putting up the council tax but from council balances.

“There would be no more money or power for us, we would have to top slice what is coming in in order to have a mayor,” he said. “There would still be 57 councillors, that wouldn’t change. There would just be an additional layer of governance.”

For a referendum to take place in Plymouth 9,789 signatures requesting one, representing five per cent of the electorate, are required under the Local Government Act 2000.

Cllr Evans said the council was not yet in a position to say when the referendum would be held.

On its website, Yesdemplymouth says: “When the whole of Plymouth chooses their leader directly with tens of thousands of votes, this is a very powerful action.

“Our chosen leader, irrespective of his/her party or ideology, must carry the burdens of our city. This enormous responsibility has to be shouldered by them for their term of office. In Plymouth, our main problem is the terrible level of poverty, and its effects including violence against women and girls, truancy, health service provision, crime and loss of self esteem.

“The indirectly elected leader model is far too political, fractious, and without clear four year objectives sees a cabinet selected purely on political grounds…and with too much power residing with senior non-elected officers.

“Our city centre remains ugly, with shuttered shops and increasing crime, we earn £50 a week less for full-time work versus the UK and our ambulance queues recently ranked worst in the country.”

There are around 25 elected mayors of metro mayors in England but they mainly chair larger combined authority areas.

Responding to the government’s plan to devolve more powers to the regions, Plymouth City Council recently gave its support to a strategic authority for Devon, Cornwall, Plymouth and Torbay, which could an elected mayor.

Plymouth City Council says on its website that a directly elected mayor for Plymouth would have the same powers as the council leader does at present.

The lord mayor of Plymouth is a ceremonial role and they chair city council meetings.