Leading the Localities: Executive Mayors in English Local Governance

This is the first major publication to assess the impact on local politics of the new office of regional Mayor. It fills a gap in our understanding of how the Local Government Act 2000 has influenced local governance, and draws from a range of research that has focused on elected mayors - in England and overseas - to set out how the powers, roles and responsibilities of mayors and mayoral councils would need to change if English local politics is to fundamentally reconnect with citizens. It explores how English elected mayors are currently operating, and how the office could develop and, as such, is a major contribution to the debate about the governance of the English localities. Whilst the book provides a robust defence of direct election, it does ask whether English elected mayors represent a radical departure from past political dynamics, or whether the new office is simply another way into the top local political job.