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Liverpool to
have Mayoral Model
COUNCILLORS have voted to
change Liverpool City Council’s constitution and elect a mayor for
the city. The decision will see elections for a mayor take place on
3 May 2012 alongside local government elections. The mayor will take
up his or her responsibilities on 7 May 2012. The mayor will be a
powerful and influential voice for the city, locally, nationally and
internationally. He or she will provide leadership, especially by
building the confidence of investors and directing new resources to
economic priorities. The vote follows the negotiation of a new
"city deal" with central government that will see new
powers devolved to the city and the creation of a single investment
fund of new and existing public and private money, initially worth
£130 million but with the potential to grow from £500m to £1
billion. The deal is not dependent on the city having a mayor, but
central government has given a clear signal that moving to a mayoral
model will provide the accountability it needs before the funds and
new powers are handed over. The vote, at an extraordinary council
meeting, was passed by 62 votes to 3, with 12 abstentions. The next
step will be the formal notice of election, to be published no later
than Tuesday, 27 March. Nominations will close at noon on Wednesday,
4 April 2012. The elected mayor will be in power for a period of
four years and will select their cabinet from the city’s 90
councillors. The council will continue to deliver statutory and
frontline services. Its 90 elected members will also fulfil a formal
scrutiny role of the mayor’s activities.
The city deal:-
1. The deal will create a single investment pot of public and
private funds, initially worth £130m, but with the potential to grow
from £500m to £1bn. The initial pot will include £75 million of new
money from government;
2. Among the mayor’s new powers and responsibilities under the deal
would be:-
► The establishment of the first Mayoral
Development Corporation outside London, supported by a Local Finance
for Growth package. This includes:-
► A new Enterprise Zone for North
Liverpool and the Central Business District which would offer
incentives for companies to set up business in Liverpool and
encourage existing city-based business to grow;
► The potential to capture the entire
benefit of any growth in business rates from the Enterprise Zone for
use in five other key economic areas of the city; North Liverpool,
the Knowledge Quarter in the city centre, Stonebridge Cross, the
Eastern Approaches and Speke-Garston (referred to as Mayoral
Development Zones);
► Acting as the chair of a new investment
board which would bring together all of the City’s assets such as
land, commercial and residential buildings including assets formerly
owned by the North West Development Agency (NWDA);
► Developing a new approach to welfare
reform in Liverpool which includes investment in specific skills
which match the jobs that are available in the city.
► Electing a mayor is an option that has
been open to Liverpool City Council since the Local Government Act
2000, but the city deal makes moving to this model a priority for
the first time following the negotiation with central government for
additional powers and control of resources.
Read more the details of the city deal
click
here.
Timetable for change:-
► 7 February 2012 - Liverpool City Council
voted to alter constitution and move to mayoral model.
► 27 March 2012 - Deadline for publication
of Notice of Election.
► 4 April 2012, noon - Nominations for
mayor close.
► 3 May 2012 - Mayoral and local
government elections take place.
► 7 May 2012 - Elected Mayor assumes
office.
► 23 May 2012 - City Council annual
general meeting.
Email us now to
news24@southportreporter.com and
let us your views on this move by Liverpool City Council. Do you
agree or disagree? |
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Council urges
staff to volunteer
A new initiative is giving
big hearted council staff the chance to leave their workplaces, get
out into communities and help change lives. The city council
is giving its staff the freedom to carry out voluntary work which
improves people’s lives and makes local neighbourhoods better places
to live.
The council’s new Employee Volunteering Scheme has been launched. It
aims to create a city council volunteer army by allowing staff to
apply for up to five days additional paid leave a year, either in
the form of a single working week or five individual days, spread
throughout the year. It could be for a community clean-up, to
decorate a youth club or a care home, or to assist an elderly or
disabled person; anything which benefits local people and the wider
community.
The scheme aims to enhance the city council’s involvement in the
community, while giving employees the opportunity to broaden their
horizons and develop new skills.
Cabinet Member for Housing and Community Safety, Councillor Ann
O’Byrne, has been instrumental in driving forward the introduction
of the scheme.
Ann O’Byrne said:- "We know a number of our staff
already give up their time during evenings and weekends for the good
of the community; and at the same time, many are keen to volunteer,
but can’t find the time.
We hope this scheme will make a real difference, by encouraging lots
more staff to volunteer, while enabling those who already volunteer
to do even more.
It’s vital that the city council supports the charitable work of our
staff, because we recognise the important contribution this work
makes to the wider community. It’s also a great way for us to invest
in the development of our staff, giving them valuable skills and
experience, as well as the opportunity to meet new people and
explore new challenges."
The scheme has got off to a great start, with the first batch of
council officers already taking advantage of it. Veronica Mannix, a
council finance officer, is a Marie Curie volunteer who spends a
minimum of three hours a week visiting people with terminal cancer
in their homes, providing company, advice and a listening ear. The
scheme has given Veronica more flexibility to carry out her role.
Ann O’Byrne said:- "I can now undertake some daytime visits rather
than relying on evenings and weekends, which in turn has helped the
people I visit who often spend more time alone mid-week."
Licensing officer Karl Lloyd volunteers with Liverpool West Derby
Sea Cadets, one of 400 units making up the UK’s largest maritime
youth charity. 2 evenings a week, he trains young cadets in
nautical skills and helps them achieve their Duke of Edinburgh
Award. He has just used his five additional days leave to take a
group, who had never ventured out of the city before, to Weymouth.
Karl said:- "It is fantastic to have the backing of your
employer to go out and do something like this."
Community cohesion development officer Gosia McKane is using her
time to increase the work she does with community organisation,
Merseyside Polonia. Gosia, who is originally from Poland, founded
Polonia in 2009, to strengthen the bonds between the city’s Polish
population and other local communities. The new scheme means she has
more time to spend on the future development of the organisation.
Gosia said:- "My experience of coming to Liverpool has been
very positive. I want other Polish people to feel that too. It’s a
great city that they can be an active member of. I’m really happy to
have this extra time to volunteer and make a difference in the
community."
The Employee Volunteering Scheme aims to support an increased take
up of volunteering by council staff, and encourage them to continue
volunteering in their own time outside the scheme. All those who
take part need to provide evidence of how their work will directly
assist the community, and the developmental benefits they will gain
from their work.
The scheme is open to all council employees who have completed their
probationary period with the authority, except for teachers,
school-based staff and secondary's.
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