We, the undersigned, being local government electors for the area of South Tyneside Council to whom this petition is addressed, seek a referendum on whether the council should be run in a different way by a mayor who is elected by voters for the area which the council serves.

 

Please Note: For your support to be validated on this Petition, you must be a resident of South Tyneside and a registered voter.

• Please ensure you add your postcode if signing this Petition

We hear so often that people want change.  Having an Elected Mayor gives the people of South Tyneside the opportunity for that change – change that is long overdue!

South Tyneside Council currently has a dominant Labour Group as the ruling party with an executive governance arrangement of a leader elected by the council (effectively elected by the Labour Group) and a cabinet of councillors (consisting of Labour councillors only).

Are you happy with the way our council is being managed by Labour?  Or do you see the decline of our borough, do you see the scandals from Labour Group members and the eye watering debt level of £800 million built up by the Labour Group?  Does this make you think – IS IT TIME FOR CHANGE?

In signing this petition for a Referendum on an Elected Mayor, the people of South Tyneside would be asking for a say in what governance arrangement we would have for the future. The number of signatories required to trigger the Referendum for an Elected Mayor is 5,676 which is 5% of the electorate.

We currently have a ruling Labour Group in South Tyneside Council, a Labour Cabinet, and a significant Labour majority for decision making with 41 Labour councillors and 13 Opposition councillors.

The view of the South Tyneside Independent Councillors is very simple. We are making a huge change in the North East by joining together in a Mayoral Combined Authority with:

·        County Durham

·        Gateshead

·        Newcastle

·        North Tyneside

·        Northumberland

·        Sunderland

We believe the current South Tyneside governance arrangement is not suitable for a major step with devolution.

The current Leader and cabinet arrangement only utilises councillors from the ruling Labour Group. We feel a cabinet should be made up of the best of our councillors from all parties and not simply restricted to Labour councillors only. An Elected Mayor gives the opportunity for a move away from the status quo where Labour effectively controls our council alone.

We need the best we have to offer in South Tyneside if we are to make this significant step with devolved powers and become a part of a North East combined authority.

An Elected Mayor would bring many advantages to South Tyneside:

Having the ability to build a cross party cabinet – We should be utilising the best abilities and skills available from all of the councillors in South Tyneside opposed to just the current arrangement where only Labour councillors are cabinet members.

Attracting new councillors from all parties – We need new talent to come into local politics and help turn our borough around, more so now than ever before!

Visibility – Residents would know who the mayor is, reinvigorating local democratic politics and counteracting widespread political apathy.

Improving civic engagement – An Elected Mayor can improve and develop civic engagement to the benefit of South Tyneside.

The return of ‘personality’ to the political agenda in South Tyneside – This would be in place of the current de-personalised party system.

Legitimacy and accountability – This would come from directly electing an Elected Mayor who has a mandate for the next four years and is accountable for what they do during that term.

Strategic focus and authority to decide – An Elected Mayor would make tough decisions for South Tyneside and then be held to account.

Stable leadership – An Elected Mayor would hold office for four years.

Potential to attract new people into local politics – Creative individuals are more likely to engage and be able to stimulate innovation.

The Elected Mayor would have the ability to:

Call for a referendum on the current devolution deal – By doing so, we could take the public with us on this huge step and know the people are behind the deal with the best governing structure available to us. The view of the South Tyneside Independent councillors is that any change or devolution of power should be put to the people in a Referendum.

Have a working partnership – An Elected Mayor would be seen as the leader of the place, rather than the leader of the council. This can assist in building coalitions and partnerships for the benefit of South Tyneside.

Overall, the view of the South Tyneside Independent councillors is that change is coming with devolution. Currently, there are no plans from the South Tyneside Labour Group to call a Referendum and ensure the people of South Tyneside support this deal.  We need the people to be behind us on this change and a Referendum is the only way to truly confirm this as opposed to what is happening where 10 South Tyneside Labour councillors (cabinet) are making the decision for all of us!

Additionally, the significant change of joining a combined authority should be done knowing our governance arrangements are best structured for the future.  This is an opportunity to do this and by signing this petition for a Referendum on an Elected Mayor, the people can move towards POSITIVE CHANGE for South Tyneside - change that is long overdue!

Independent Councillors:

Cllr Glenn Thompson

Cllr Paul Brenen

Cllr David Kennedy

Cllr Paul Milburn

Cllr Keith Roberts

Cllr John Robertson