They were meant to refresh local politics, not confuse it. Starmer must devolve proper powers to every city and town
England’s 12 “metro mayors” should be abolished. Metro mayorships are artificial creations whose regional geography rarely reflects any civic identity or pride. Towns and cities should have properly elected mayors, as is common in other democracies. These regional entities were invented by Whitehall in the 2010s, supposedly to order transport and investment. Their boundaries were confused with those of near-meaningless police commissioners. As instruments of local democracy, they are a farce.
These individuals – distinct from mayors elected for single cities – have served largely as chairs of “combined authorities”. Thus, until 2023 Liverpool had its own local mayor and a second one for its surrounding region. The West of England metro mayor covers Bristol and Bath, but Bristol had its own mayor until the role was abolished in May of this year. Cambridge shares a mayor with Peterborough. According to the Institute for Government, the average turnout to vote in the 2021 metro mayor elections was only 35%. The results of any votes are invariably attributed to events in Downing Street rather than the state of trams or freeports. They are glorified opinion polls.
Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist
