Unions accept mayor ‘through gritted teeth’
funding. However there is some merit in obtaining this funding even if we have to bear having an elected mayor through gritted teeth to get it. So agreement to these proposals is offered with these serious reservations.”
It also called on more trade union representation within the organisation, including representatives on the Leeds Enterprise Partnership and all committees.
The initial term of mayor will be three years, after which each term will last four years, in order to fit with other UK mayoral authorities.
The mayoral authority will consist of 11 members – eight of which are voting. Of those, five voting members will be the leaders of the constituent local authorities – Bradford, Leeds, Wakefield, Calderdale and Kirklees councils – with three additional members chosen to reflect the political make-up of councils. This is likely to involve at least one Conservative, as currently all of West Yorkshire’s councils are Labour-led. The three remaining non-voting members include the mayor, as well as members nominated by City of York Council and the Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership.
Police and crime commissioner functions will be transferred to the mayor, as will powers over transport, housing, planning and finance.
A report into the responses from members of the public claims 2,831 agreed with the proposals, while 894 disagreed.
The survey is set to be discussed by Leeds City Council’s executive board on September 1.
A report from Leeds City Council officers concluded: “The agreement of a devolution deal for West Yorkshire presents a significant opportunity for Leeds and the wider region to use new powers, funding and freedoms to make progress on some of our long-term shared priorities.
“The outcome of the public consultation which has been undertaken demonstrates broad and consistent support for the proposals outlined in the scheme, and supports the outcome of previous executive board decisions.”