Tower Hamlets to hold elected mayor referendum
Tower Hamlets looks set to follow neighbouring borough Newham and have a directly-elected mayor.
The council has bowed to pressure from residents and will hold a referendum next year on the issue.
The decision comes after a petition with over 10,000 signatures supporting a mayoral election was sent to the authority.
An elected mayor would serve a four-year term and would have more direct control over the council, including being able to appoint between two and nine councillors to form a cabinet.
Newham had its first directly-elected mayor in 2002 when Sir Robin Wales took the post. He was re-elected in 2006.
There will be a special meeting of Tower Hamlets Council next Wednesday during which councillors will decide the timeline for the referendum, which is likely to be held in February or May next year.
Older/Newer
« Blonde's Eye View: Steak dressing | Comment: We must care for heritage we have »
I'm voting for who ever the Conservatives put up
Elected Mayors have not worked in Newham and we have a lot of problems and has led to a lack of democracy in decision making. It is like electing a dictator.
Just look at how Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales behaves. If Councillors have a different opinion to the Mayor, they will not dare speak their opinion or speak for local residents, this is because against the Councillors will get thrown off lucractive committees which attract extra allowances. Would you want to earn £10k or 30k?. Elected Mayors are no good for democracy.
The Mayor of Newham does what he likes with no consideration to residents, he has tried to sell off the local market to developers, spend £115 on lush Council buildings! And Newham wastes £4m on publicity and magazines.
Don’t let the large powerful muslim lobby in Tower Hamlets (Islamic Forum of Europe) use an elected mayorship get a foothold - it would be a stepping stone to Sharia.