Councillors have stopped the axe from falling on Cheshire East’s mayoralty – for now at least, writes Stephen Topping.
Labour Cllr James Barber put forward a motion calling for the role to be ditched from May 2020 at Thursday’s meeting.
But deputy council leader Cllr Craig Browne suggested the local authority should instead conduct a review into the role ahead of the next municipal year.
Cllr Barber reassured current mayor Cllr Barry Burkhill his idea was “in no way reflecting” on him or past mayors who made “fantastic contribution” to CEC – but that the mayoralty was an issue on the doorstep in his ward, where former councillor Liz Durham had been due to become mayor in May.
He said: “In tight financial restrictions, should we be spending nearly £100,000 a year on the mayoralty?
“Is all the pomp and ceremony conductive to efficient meetings?
“If towns such as Macclesfield, Congleton, Crewe and Knutsford have their own mayor, then why do we need public money to be spent on a Cheshire East mayor as well?
“Residents want this money to be spent on fixing their roads, emptying their bins and ensuring good quality services – issues that really matter to them.”
At February’s budget setting meeting, Labour proposed an amendment to cut funding for the mayoralty by £85,000, and suggested a further £10,000 could be saved by scrapping it altogether.
Labour’s manifesto for May’s election then included plans to scrap the mayoralty and promote town mayors instead – before the party took office alongside the Independent Group.
“Residents told me time and time again that they didn’t want a councillor,” added Cllr Rob Vernon, Labour.
“They said to me that they see it as lavish, unnecessary, a waste of money and ultimately not doing the job of representing them that a councillor should be there for.”
But a number of councillors spoke in favour of keeping the mayor – including Cllr Stewart Gardiner, Conservative, who suggested the role is a “public relations” one for CEC.
He said: “The majority of our residents probably don’t have a feeling of belonging to Cheshire East – if we have a mayor it gives a figurehead for our organisation that is above politics.”
Conservative Cllr Lesley Smetham, mayor for 2018-19, suggested the value of having a mayor to raise Cheshire East’s profile is “too great to lose”.
And her predecessor Cllr Arthur Moran, independent, suggested the amount of cash being talked about was small compared to CEC’s overall £282 million budget.
He said: “We were quite happy to have a temporary legal officer at £1,000 per day for I don’t know how many weeks.
“We were quite happy for senior officers to be paid for years, months, on gardening leave.
“And yet we are concentrating our minds on abolishing the mayoralty at £80,000.”
But Cllr Browne admitted there is “no good reason” why the mayoralty should not be considered for cost-cutting as CEC continues to face budget pressures, before amending the motion put forward by Cllr Barber.
Members voted in favour of the review by 30 votes to 25, with one abstention.
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