Attack on decision forcing Mersey Mayor on local residents

Photo: Councillor Sue McGuire

The decision by Sefton Council to back the creation of the post of elected Mersey Mayor has come under attack from Southport Liberal Democrat councillors.

At last Thursday’s Council meeting at Southport Town Hall, the controlling Labour Group were supported by the Conservatives in agreeing that the Council ‘approves the Liverpool City Region Devolution Agreement and agrees to adopt a Directly Elected Mayor with effect from May 2017’.  The opposition Liberal Democrat group voted against the move.

Councillor Sue McGuire, Leader of the Lib Dems on the Council, said: “We’re totally in favour of genuine devolution, but believe that this Liverpool-centric agreement doesn’t offer that. It’s very much a deal driven by Council Chiefs from across Merseyside and Whitehall mandarins with little or no consideration of the views of the residents.”

“But it’s the imposition of the idea of a Liverpool-based Mersey Mayor which we most oppose.  If the views of residents had been considered than there is simply no way that Conservative Chancellor George Osborne would have got away with forcing that on us with the agreement of the six local Labour Council leaders.”

Submit News Contact us with your community, business or sport news. Phone 07581350321

Email ots@otsnews.co.uk

Facebook www.facebook.com/otsnews.co.uk

Twitter  www.twitter.com/onthespot_news

Breaking local news as it happens, searchable archives with photographs, the ability to instantly comment on news articles – there are so many advantages to OTS (Onthespot) News.

If you want your news read locally online then send it to ots@otsnews.co.uk – relying only on the newspaper is to restrict yourself to an ever reducing audience.