MAYOR MAYHEM
A row has broken out between Labour politicians over whether the Liverpool city region should have an elected mayor as part of a devolution package.
Liverpool City Council elected mayor Joe Anderson (Lab, pictured) has denounced St Helens MBC leader Barrie Grunewald (Lab) and Knowsley MBC leader Ron Round (Lab) for bringing the city region into disrepute by opposing the concept.
Cllr Grunewald has retaliated by threatening judicial review were the government to impose a regional mayor without a referendum. A letter to regional leaders from chancellor George Osborne, sent last month, said he would “encourage” devolution proposals that included an elected mayor.
Greater Manchester secured a wide ranging devolution deal last year but with Mr Osborne insisting on the inclusion of an elected regional mayor.
In a letter to the Liverpool Echo, Mr Anderson said the other leaders lacked integrity because “only a matter of weeks ago we told government in a letter agreed by all leaders that we would discuss with no preconditions devolution of powers and resources similar to Greater Manchester”.
But Cllr Grunewald has demanded a referendum before a regional mayoralty could be created, while a motion passed by Knowsley from Cllr Round declared there was “no public support” for any additional layer of governance.
Mr Anderson wrote: “We simply cannot make a statement one week saying one thing and do something different the next; it brings discussions and our standing into disrepute.”
He added: “Missing out on this opportunity and allowing Greater Manchester to be pacesetters will harm the very people we were elected to serve… It will be regretted for many years to come and difficult to claw back.”
In a furious response released to LGC, Cllr Grunewald said: “This is becoming quite tiresome. The facts are clear. I have always been against a metro mayor and have stated this on numerous occasions.
“I strongly believe that if [the] government were to force and impose a metro mayor upon us there must be a referendum on the matter.
“I would use all available means including the use of judicially reviewing the government if they went down this path without consulting the public.”
Cllr Grunewald said there had been bad faith over the matter, recalling that all Merseyside leaders met government devolution adviser Lord Heseltine to discuss devolution in November and agreed to engage with the government without preconditions on either side.
He said: “The very next day an extensive briefing was given to local press outlets which said leaders in Merseyside had agreed to a metro [mayor] model; this was simply lies and I will not allow untruths to be spoken in my name, so I had to set the record straight.”
The reply received by the leaders from Mr Osborne last month stated: “I encourage proposals for further devolution alongside a new model of governance with an elected mayor.”
Cllr Grunewald said: “That very much sounds like the government has a pre-condition of a metro [mayor] model. I wonder why mayor Anderson is not questioning the government on this but attacking his fellow colleagues?
“I am not quite sure what agenda mayor Anderson is peddling but it is one which is not in the interests of the Liverpool City Region.”
Cllr Round’s motion stated Knowsley, “recognises that there is no public support for the early creation of another tier of elected government and notes that the public would expect devolved budgets and powers to be managed by the existing structure of local government, which for this area means the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority”.
A row has broken out between Labour politicians over whether the Liverpool city region should have an elected mayor as part of a devolution package.
Liverpool City Council elected mayor Joe Anderson (Lab, pictured) has denounced St Helens MBC leader Barrie Grunewald (Lab) and Knowsley MBC leader Ron Round (Lab) for bringing the city region into disrepute by opposing the concept.
Cllr Grunewald has retaliated by threatening judicial review were the government to impose a regional mayor without a referendum. A letter to regional leaders from chancellor George Osborne, sent last month, said he would “encourage” devolution proposals that included an elected mayor.
Greater Manchester secured a wide ranging devolution deal last year but with Mr Osborne insisting on the inclusion of an elected regional mayor.
In a letter to the Liverpool Echo, Mr Anderson said the other leaders lacked integrity because “only a matter of weeks ago we told government in a letter agreed by all leaders that we would discuss with no preconditions devolution of powers and resources similar to Greater Manchester”.
But Cllr Grunewald has demanded a referendum before a regional mayoralty could be created, while a motion passed by Knowsley from Cllr Round declared there was “no public support” for any additional layer of governance.
Mr Anderson wrote: “We simply cannot make a statement one week saying one thing and do something different the next; it brings discussions and our standing into disrepute.”
He added: “Missing out on this opportunity and allowing Greater Manchester to be pacesetters will harm the very people we were elected to serve… It will be regretted for many years to come and difficult to claw back.”
In a furious response released to LGC, Cllr Grunewald said: “This is becoming quite tiresome. The facts are clear. I have always been against a metro mayor and have stated this on numerous occasions.
“I strongly believe that if [the] government were to force and impose a metro mayor upon us there must be a referendum on the matter.
“I would use all available means including the use of judicially reviewing the government if they went down this path without consulting the public.”
Cllr Grunewald said there had been bad faith over the matter, recalling that all Merseyside leaders met government devolution adviser Lord Heseltine to discuss devolution in November and agreed to engage with the government without preconditions on either side.
He said: “The very next day an extensive briefing was given to local press outlets which said leaders in Merseyside had agreed to a metro [mayor] model; this was simply lies and I will not allow untruths to be spoken in my name, so I had to set the record straight.”
The reply received by the leaders from Mr Osborne last month stated: “I encourage proposals for further devolution alongside a new model of governance with an elected mayor.”
Cllr Grunewald said: “That very much sounds like the government has a pre-condition of a metro [mayor] model. I wonder why mayor Anderson is not questioning the government on this but attacking his fellow colleagues?
“I am not quite sure what agenda mayor Anderson is peddling but it is one which is not in the interests of the Liverpool City Region.”
Cllr Round’s motion stated Knowsley, “recognises that there is no public support for the early creation of another tier of elected government and notes that the public would expect devolved budgets and powers to be managed by the existing structure of local government, which for this area means the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority”.
