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Local government has given a cautious welcome to Lord Heseltine's demands for an elected mayor in every city in England. The former deputy prime minister told delegates at the Conservative party in Blackpool that people ‘want an accountable person in charge', and any new powers ‘should be vested in an elected mayor'. ? Is there a case for merging the role of council chief executive and leader? Have your say using the comment function at the end of the article... Lord Heseltine also reiterated demands to combine the posts of council leader and chief executive. ‘I believe cities should elect leaders held democratically to account every four years,' he said. He also called for the election of local sheriffs ‘to break the Home Office monopoly over the police'. Lewisham LBC mayor, Steve Bullock, said: ‘Lord Heseltine has been a long-time supporter of the elected mayor approach, and those of us who are elected mayors are very grateful for that. ‘However, I would hesitate to be as prescriptive as he is. The elected mayor system has a great deal to offer, but I would not want to put myself in the position of telling other boroughs and cities what is right for their locality.' And Watford BC's mayor, Dorothy Thornhill, said Lord Heseltine's calls to merge the chief executive post with the mayoral job were ‘fundamentally flawed'. ‘The British tradition of a neutral Civil Service is sacrosanct,' she said. ‘It is nonsense to think we can combine the two roles. ‘But where there are mayors, people are very positive about knowing who is in charge.' Hackney LBC mayor, Jules Pipe, said the directly-elected mayor model ‘has got a lot to offer' and that more uniformity might help people understand local government more. Conservative local government spokesman, Eric Pickles, used his conference speech to reiterate Tory plans to end the ring-fencing of council grants.

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WHITEHALL

Heseltine calls for elected chief execs

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