Manchester City Council

Manchester City Council

You are here: Home | Governance Consultation

Governance Consultation

A Leader or a Mayor.

Which option do you think Manchester should choose? 

Neither option gives the Council more power over the police or public transport, nor gives the Council more money. The boundaries of Manchester City Council will also remain unchanged. The 'new-style' Leader or an elected Mayor would represent the city of Manchester alone and would be only one of ten members of the Executive of the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA).

Town Hall Clock

Option A: The ‘new-style’ Leader and Cabinet Executive

  • This option is closest to the way we've done things since 2001. However, the role of the 'new-style' Leader would be strengthened.
  • The Leader would be elected by the Council and would be one of the 96 elected councillors.
  • The Leader would have a fixed term of four years, but could be removed by the Council earlier.
  • The Leader would appoint a Cabinet of at least two and up to nine councillors, one of whom would be appointed as Deputy Leader.
  • The Leader could either decide to carry out the Council's Executive functions or delegate Executive functions to the Cabinet, a committee of the Cabinet, individual members of the Cabinet, or Council officers.
  • The Cabinet would recommend the budget and major policies to the Council, but the full Council could change this by a simple majority.
  • There would be no additional cost.

Option B: The Elected Mayor and Cabinet Executive

  • The elected Mayor would only represent the city of Manchester and not the Greater Manchester region, unlike in London, where their Mayor represents the whole of Greater London.
  • The Mayor would be elected by local electors in a separate election and would be in addition to the 96 elected councillors.
  • The Mayor would hold office for four years and could not be removed by the Council.
  • The Mayor would appoint a Cabinet of at least two and up to nine councillors, one of whom would be appointed as Deputy Mayor.
  • The Mayor could either decide to carry out the Council's Executive functions or delegate Executive functions to the Cabinet, a committee of the Cabinet, individual members of the Cabinet, or Council officers.
  • The Cabinet would recommend the budget and major policies to the Council, but the full Council could only change this by a two-thirds majority.
  • This option would require an increase in cost for an election and a greater special responsibility allowance for the Mayor.

In order for your comments to be included in this consultation, please complete the 'Your comments count' section before 22 September 2009.

Common features of both models

There are many similarities between the roles of the 'new-style' Leader and elected Mayor.

  • Both involve the public voting for three local councillors to represent their ward in the city to form the Council.
  • Both require a separate Executive.
  • Both require the Council to continue to maintain Overview and Scrutiny Committees, run by councillors who are not part of the Executive. These Overview and Scrutiny Committees examine and review Executive decisions and make recommendations.
  • Both require planning and licensing matters to be decided outside the Executive by a politically balanced committee or a Council officer.
  • Both require a Standards Committee to ensure ethical conduct by councillors.
  • Both require that when members of the Executive take key decisions collectively, they must do so in public unless the matter is confidential. In addition, information about all non-confidential decisions, whether taken collectively or by individuals, will be made available for the public.
  • In Manchester, the Chair of the Council, who cannot be the Leader or the elected Mayor, will continue to be known as the Lord Mayor.



 

Governance Consultation

  1. Governance Consultation
  2. How does it work now?
  3. A Leader or a Mayor? <<< You are here
  4. FAQs
  5. Your comments count



Advanced search