An active elected Mayor

Ridley Gove, on today's Conservative Home blog, lauds the mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies.

The mayor, responsible for 250,000 people, has made some sweeping changes:

1) He has not produced plans yet, but he wants all local schools to run themselves.

2) He has ordered budget cuts of between 10% and 15%, as he is convinced that the administration grew fat over decades of Labour rule, and he is aiming for a 3% cut in council tax.

3) He has cut his own pay in half, to £30,000, and he is hoping to cut the chief executive's pay in half to £85,000.

4) He wants to cut the number of councillors by two thirds to only 21.

5) He, as with several Tory controlled councils, will save £80,000 by leaving the ineffective Local Government Association.

6) He has ended Doncaster's twinning arrangements with five other cities, and the associated junketing.

7) He believes that immigrants should learn English, to promote integration, and consequently has abolished the translation services.

As far as I know, he is not a Tory, but he is surely someone of the same spirit.

If he succeeds in Doncaster, there is every argument to overcome the obstacles of change - "It would never work here" and all the vested interests. I was never a real fan of elected mayors, but I must admit to being impressed by this one! He could produce a model which spends elector's money more efficiently and in line with their expressed views.