Greg Clark

Government too ‘vague’ over mayor powers, warns Warwick Commission chairman

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Published February 23, 2012, in Elected mayors, Politics


The head of an independent inquiry into the role that elected mayors could play in cities like Birmingham is the latest prominent figure to urge the Government to be clearer about the executive powers being offered.

Professor said voters taking part in a referendum on May 3 to decide whether Birmingham, Coventry and other major English cities should be run by mayors wouldn’t know what they were being asked to sign up for if Ministers failed to spell out how the new system will make a difference.

Prof Grant, who chairs the research

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Liverpool ‘to shun referendum and elect a mayor in May’

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Published January 26, 2012, in Elected mayors


Image by djmcaleese via Flickr

The Liverpool Daily Post confirms today that the city’s council is planning to move directly to an elected mayor model in May, rather than wait for the results of a referendum.

The Post says the change of heart by council leader Joe Anderson came about after negotiations with the Chancellor George Osborne and cities minister Greg Clark, who offered up a £75m ‘Mayor’s fund’ which Anderson said would be used on scholl improvements.

Councils are able to choose an elected mayor model under current legislation if two thirds of councillors vote in favour. Liverpool is planning a vote in early February to confirm the move.

Read the full report .

Business groups to back mayor as Government announces ‘Super Thursday’ election date

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Published January 18, 2012, in Elected mayors, Politics


Greg Clark

Birmingham  is on course for a ‘Super Thursday’ election in November when voters will choose a city mayor and a West Midlands police commissioner on the same day, Local Government Minister Greg Clark is expected to confirm next week.

The double election will happen if Brummies agree to back a mayor in a referendum to be held in conjunction with the city council elections on May 3, Mr Clark will tell a special meeting of the Birmingham Chamber.

The announcement is likely to coincide with a historic decision by Birmingham’s main business-support organisations to

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Elected mayor needs to control the purse strings – guest post by Councillor Phil Parkin

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Published January 12, 2012, in Elected mayors, Politics


With the government’s consultation on mayoral powers now at an end and submissions from Birmingham City Council, mayoral hopefuls and business representatives piled up in Greg Clark’s in-tray for consideration, it’s apparent that there is a degree of consensus over the need for much greater local control over the decisions that affect this city.

Even those in the ‘no’ camp would (surely) agree that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to running our cities, with the levers of powers firmly in Whitehall and money channelled through

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One to watch: Greg Clark

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Published September 16, 2011, in Elected mayors


Greg Clark, Minister for Cities

Over the summer, the Government announced the appointment of Greg Clark as Minister for Cities.

Already Minister for Decentralisation in the department under the inimitable Eric Pickles, Clark is working as part of a ministerial group led by DPM Nick Clegg and now ranks as a Minister in BIS as well.

Clark – a former director of policy for the Tories – is well thought of in Government circles, whilst the Coalition is increasingly recognising the importance of England’s cities in driving economic growth. Cities already represent over half of the UK’s GDP.

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