08 February 2002
More than two-thirds of mayoral referendums have now ended in rejection after three more local authorities voted against last week.
The people of Shepway, West Devon and Southwark in London all voted on January 31 to join the ever-lengthening list of mayoral refuseniks. They bring the number of councils that have said no to 15, leaving Labour's mayoral policy in disarray.
All three results were conclusive. West Devon provided proportionally the largest vote yet against mayors, with 77.4% of people giving a resounding no to the idea.
Almost 70% followed suit in Southwark, compared with 56% in Shepway, where even the local Labour Party campaigned for a no vote. Bernard Sealey, Shepway Labour group leader, said: 'We are glad the people of Shepway voted no as we feel that it would have added a layer of bureaucracy with additional cost and no appreciable benefit.'
The one bright spot for the government is that voters in Newham supported its policy on the same day. More than two in three people backed the proposal, making the east London council only the seventh town hall to vote in favour.
The next referendum will be held in Bedford on February 21, with at least three more to follow in May.
PFfeb2002
