Mayor Q&A: Lord Bassam

A referendum on October 18 will decide whether Brighton and Hove should have a powerful directly-elected mayor.

Lord Bassam is a leading member of the Yes campaign. The No campaigners will put their case next week.

WHAT will be different with a mayor?

The directly-elected mayor will bring a new and, we believe, more dynamic thrust to local government.

He or she will work closely with a Cabinet and be advised by the council's chief executive and directors.

The mayor will also want to set up a range of small advisory groups directly representing the major interests in the city, such as transport, strategic development, the environment, poverty and social exclusion.

Ken Livingstone has used his advisory network to good effect by bringing in new people with a fresh perspective on diverse issues which confront a complex city like London.

Our city shares many similar problems and we will need to seek our own solutions.

In Brighton and Hove, relations between the diverse commercial interests and the council are well-developed but there is room for improvement.

The new structure makes this easier, by enabling the mayor to tap directly into business expertise and concerns on any range of subjects.

The mayor will have a consultative role to play in ensuring the planning system works well, not least for business and community interests.

The biggest benefit of the new system to businesses will undoubtedly be the ability of them to cut through red tape and bureaucracy by ensuring major issues get rapidly into the mayoral office and dealt with.

Because mayors can get to grips with the issues and effect policy quickly, it means street cleaning, refuse services, parking, traffic and congestion will require faster responses and quicker decision-making rather than drag on.

The mayor will have hard choices to make but will ultimately be judged on how these are handled.

Experience in the best major cities across Europe where elected mayors dominate the local political landscape shows how they can be a force for change and sensitive development.

Just think of how places like Barcelona, Lille, Amsterdam, Lisbon Munich and Paris are run. Don't you have a sense they solve problems, we do.

WHAT is the point of an elected mayor?

Brighton and Hove is a flagship authority and has recently been granted city status. Mayors the world over are linked to the idea of forward-looking and progressive local government.

In our city an elected mayor would be a powerful mover and shaker capable of banging heads together to sort out long and intractable problems, bringing together the partners necessary to improve public services and continuing our local success story.

The mayor will also be able to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and make things happen so we get the best from Government and those who want to make the city a success story.

It will enable Brighton and Hove to negotiate with one voice and get the best deal from the Government.

AREN'T mayors simply undemocratic?

Why should that be the case? They will be directly elected and with the second preference vote will have to command the support of a majority of the local electorate.

Arguably they will have the BIGGEST democratic mandate of any individual in the city to act on behalf of local people.

They will be removable if they behave in a corrupt manner and the voters will be able to remove them after four years if they stand again and have not performed in line with their promises.

Elections for mayors occur the world over, securing bigger turnouts than our local councillors do.

BUT won't the mayor be too powerful?

There will be careful checks and balances put in place. The mayor will not be an elected dictator.

Here are some of the ways a mayor and Cabinet will be held to account:

The council will strengthen its system of scrutiny and councillors of all parties can call the leadership to account, n public and in front of the Press. It has already set up a standards committee, with an independent chair.

All main policy and budget decisions will have to be agreed by full council by a majority of councillors from all parties.

All key decisions to be debated will have to be published in advance, a first for local democracy, involvement and, of course, debate.

Full council will have power over the management of the budget and will have the ultimate veto if councillors feel the mayor is acting beyond his or her powers.

Planning and licensing decisions do not rest with the mayor and his/her powers will be similar to those of the current leader. The mayor will be directly accountable to electorate, accountable to the Cabinet, accountable to the council and to the group and party from which he/she has been drawn.

WHAT about corruption in mayoral systems; isn't it worse?

There is no evidence mayors are any more corrupt than any other form of political leadership. MPs, councillors and peers of the realm have been known to end up in prison! Corruption can take place in any system of governance and there will always be a need to be vigilant against malpractice.

WON'T mayors mean the end of party political control locally?

Very unlikely. Some commentators think local government is too strongly dominated by political parties, often to the detriment of local services. There is no evidence to support that view.

But mayors will need to adopt a more inclusive approach to parties, especially where the council is hung.

They will need to listen closely to interest groups and those with needs.

The new system has the potential to be more involving and participative.

WHAT about relationships with businesses and voluntary organisations?

The mayor will want to retain the confidence and trust of many interest groups and communities.

Mayors will work closely with all other public services such as health, further and higher education, the police, employment and benefits agencies.

WILL mayors do anything to improve voter participation?

On their own, elected mayors can't improve turnout or participation in elections. But with the local council, the Government and Electoral Commission, mayors have a responsibility to turn back the tide of cynicism which the media and political institutions have fostered over the past decade to turn people off elections.

WHAT will the role be of the Cabinet?

It will provide an important source of accountability for the mayor. It will work with the mayor to deliver services and ensure policy is carried out.

Like Government ministers, Cabinet members will have particular areas of expertise and responsibility. With the mayor they will be accountable to the council and the electors.

DOESN'T it mean the end of the historic civic mayoral office?

Certainly not. There is absolutely no reason to change the popular tradition of a civic mayor and we would not do so here.

In many ways the elected mayor will enable civic mayors greater freedom to do their wider work, just as the leader and mayor do now.