2012 English mayoral referendums

Map showing referendum results by authority; Green = Yes, Red = No

A series of mayoral referendums were held on 3 May 2012 in England's 11 largest cities to determine whether to introduce directly elected mayors to provide political leadership, replacing their current council leaders, who are elected by the local council.[1]

Parliamentary approval was granted for referendums to be held in Birmingham,[2] Bradford,[3] Bristol,[4] Coventry,[5] Leeds,[6] Manchester,[7] Newcastle upon Tyne,[8] Nottingham,[9] Sheffield[10] and Wakefield.[11] The government had also intended to hold referendums on whether to introduce directly elected mayors in Leicester and Liverpool, however before the government could order these referendums, the two city councils had already decided to adopt a mayoral system themselves. Leicester City Council voted to introduce a mayor in 2010 without holding a referendum, and an election was held in 2011 for the position.[12] Meanwhile, despite legislation being passed for a referendum in Liverpool,[13] the City Council voted to bypass the referendum and to instead hold a mayoral election on the same day as other local elections in May.[14]

In addition, Doncaster Borough Council decided to hold a referendum on the same day, to determine whether to retain their elected mayoral system, having been one of the earliest authorities to adopt one, in 2001.[15]

On 26 January 2012 electors in Salford voted in favour of an elected mayor by 17,344 votes to 13,653.[16] There was an inaugural 2012 Salford mayoral election on the same day as 2012 United Kingdom local elections.

  1. ^ "Greg Clark: Date set for elected city mayors". Department for Communities and Local Government. 5 December 2011. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  2. ^ "The City of Birmingham (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/324
  3. ^ "The City of Bradford (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/325
  4. ^ "The City of Bristol (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/326
  5. ^ "The City of Coventry (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/327
  6. ^ "The City of Leeds (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/328
  7. ^ "The City of Manchester (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/329
  8. ^ "The City of Newcastle upon Tyne (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/330
  9. ^ "The City of Nottingham (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/331
  10. ^ "The City of Sheffield (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/332
  11. ^ "The City of Wakefield (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2012/333
  12. ^ "Leicester elected mayor plan is approved". BBC News. 10 December 2010. Retrieved 22 December 2011.
  13. ^ "The City of Liverpool (Mayoral Referendum) Order 2012". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  14. ^ "Liverpool Council passes motion to adopt elected mayor system". Liverpool Daily Post. 7 February 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2012.
  15. ^ "Voters to decide on mayor's future". The Star. 19 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Salford votes in favour of elected mayor". Salford City council.