A group of local citizens have come together to petition for a referendum for an Elected Mayor for the Bath & North East Somerset area.
Councillor Cherry Beath (left) became Bath’s Mayor in June
When 7,000 signatures have been collected (by the end of 2014) a referendum will be held next May, at the same time as the General Election and local council elections. Currently, 10% of the signatures have been collected.
Long time resident Philip Raby, chair of Mayor for Banes, said: “The decisions made by the Council affect everyone in B&NES: young and old, villagers and city-dwellers, workers, students, business people, visitors, shopkeepers.
“Therefore we believe everyone who lives here should have a say in who makes those decisions. In other places, Bristol being the nearest example, Elected Mayors can rise above party politics and bureaucracy, and get things done.
“We represent no party or special interest. We just want people to have the opportunity to say whether they want an Elected Mayor. To do that, we need a referendum. To get a referendum, we need 7,000 signatures on the petition. It’s that simple.”
The idea of an elected mayor for the whole district is receiving widespread support in North East Somerset – with many recognising that the new role will ensure that rural and town affairs are given just as much weight as those in the city of Bath.
Independent research shows that 92% of the English public don’t know the name of their council’s leader. Elected Mayors, on the other hand, are more visible and get more attention regionally, nationally and with business.
A campaign manager has been appointed. At a supporters’ meeting held at BRSLI, Queen Square on 23rd July, the plan for the campaign was set out and volunteers took on the task of collecting signatures on the street, in villages and at large events.
A number of public meetings will be held around the district in the next few months.
Anyone who would like to get involved and/or sign the petition is invited to express their interest at www.mayorforbanes.org.
The petition form can also be downloaded there and sent in by Freepost.
