Elected Mayors in England: A Contribution to the Debate

Abstract

This article discusses the arguments for and against the introduction of elected mayors in England, as encouraged in the Local Government Act 2000. It analyses how the government’. mayoral proposals have been diluted in such a way that ‘strong mayors’ parallels from the USA are now less relevant. It examines the evolution effectiveness and extent of the current use of the mayoral office in the USA, and draws out the implications of this evidence for the way in which elected mayors are likely to operate in England (whilst recognising the problems of cross-national ‘policy transferability’.. The particular impact of party politics on the mayoral project in England is highlighted; it is argued that the highly personalised approach to the mayoral office which is apparent in the USA is unlikely to develop in England. It is concluded that although there is a plausible case for the introduction of elected mayors in England on a voluntary and experimental basis, the case for their widespread introduction in the immediate future cannot be sustained.