Star date: 29th May 2015

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS TEMP GM MAYOR ANNOUNCED AS TONY LLOYD

"Can it ever be acceptable...in a 21st Century democracy that a handful of people behind closed doors can change the basic rules of who decides, what and how - impacting on the lives of millions of us?" GM Referendum Campaign

As Sepp Blatter goes through the motions of a vote to decide who runs FIFA, this afternoon, ten council leaders, behind closed doors, decided that the Interim Mayor for Greater Manchester would be ex-MP and soon to be ex Police Commissioner Tony Lloyd. On social media, people were scathing, led by DJ Dave Haslam who used the hashtag #Jobs4theBoys.

Full details here...

Current controversial GM Police Commissioner, Tony Lloyd, has been crowned Interim Greater Manchester Mayor, after a vote this afternoon by just ten council leaders from the region, including Salford Mayor Ian Stewart.

The behind-closed-doors vote was taken with no public consultation – even the hustings featuring the two candidates, Lloyd and Wigan Council Leader, Peter Smith, were councillor only affairs, together with `engagement sessions with key private, public and voluntary sector partners'. The public was left out completely.  Indeed, Ian Stewart himself personally decided which candidate Salford would be voting for.

The Interim Mayor will be officially confirmed at a GMCA (Greater Manchester Combined Authority) meeting on June 26th, when his salary will also be announced. The Salford Star has been told that a figure of £100,000 is `way off the mark'.

"The interim mayor will not have executive powers but will work in partnership with the GMCA, becoming its 11th member and full-time leader and providing strategic leadership in the transitional period up to May 2017 when, subject to legislation being passed, a directly-elected mayor will be voted in by the Greater Manchester public" explained a statement from GMCA this afternoon.

"As we move towards devolution we have to ensure that there is a strong voice making the case to government on Greater Manchester's behalf. I am pleased that I will be that voice, but to be effective my role must carry legitimacy with the people of Greater Manchester" said Tony Lloyd after his appointment.

"The public must be involved as we move forward" he added "Issues like health, community safety and economic development are too important for decisions to be made behind closed doors. The changes we need can only be delivered if the public has bought into them and are included in the debate..."

Meanwhile, Tony Lloyd's appointment and the whole GM Mayoral process has met with scathing criticism on social media, led by DJ Dave Haslam, who posted #Jobs4theBoys. A long statement by the Greater Manchester Referendum Campaign was titled `Game of Thrones meets Monty Python'...

"So who makes the decisions, according to this new deal?" it asked "In a nutshell, a new made-up-mayor with decision-making powers, with a cabinet of the ten Council leaders across Greater Manchester. They decide. No new democratically-elected assembly; no proportional voting system. This isn't a devolution deal anything like in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland – no, their Devo Manc deal is a very different kind of so-called devolution!

"No public awareness; No public consultation; No scrutiny; No impact assessment; No democratic engagement" it explained "Can it ever be acceptable or wise in a 21st Century democracy that a handful of people behind closed doors can change the basic rules of who decides, what and how - impacting on the lives of millions of us?

"Their template is intended to be taken up across England, however there is already considerable concern being expressed in other areas, adding to the voices in Greater Manchester" it added "For example, just this week North East politicians have reportedly said of the plans `This is anti-democratic and makes a mockery of the notion of localism'."

Over in Coventry, where the city is being pushed into a `Greater Birmingham' region, the Coventry Referendum Campaign has won a concession from Coventry City Council to consider `whether a referendum is feasible' after members were allowed to petition the Cabinet...

"This was accepted unanimously by Cabinet members" states the Coventry campaign "This is not a promise to hold a referendum but it is an improvement on the previous `no referendum' position." They are urging everyone to sign their petition: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/p/coventry

As Coventry at least proposes to look into the possibility of a referendum, DevoManc, the Greater Manchester Mayor and the Interim Greater Manchester Mayor have been imposed on the citizens of Salford, Manchester, Rochdale, Wigan, Stockport, Bury, Tameside, Oldham, Bolton and Trafford, and its 2.8million people – with democracy and accountability left somewhere in Sepp Blatter's wildest dreams...

See previous Salford Star articles...

Hundreds Call For Greater Manchester Devolution Referendum - click here

Greater Manchester Democracy Deficit - click here