Tower Hamlets votes in favour of elected mayor

11 May 10
Residents in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets voted in favour of an elected mayor after a campaign led by George Galloway’s Respect party
By Mark Smulian

11 May 2010

Residents in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets voted in favour of an elected mayor after a campaign led by George Galloway’s Respect party.

Voters in the referendum chose the mayoral system by 60,758 votes to 39,857 on a 62.09% turnout. The referendum was triggered under the provision that one can be called by a petition signed by 5% of local voters.

A poll to determine the borough’s first executive mayor is now due to be held in October.

But the referendum verdict has set up a complex political battle in the borough, where the main parties opposed an elected mayoralty and must now decide how they will contest the October poll.

A posting on Galloway’s website described the result as great news and said ‘Well done to everyone who worked hard and made it happen...the work has just begun.’

It is unclear whether Galloway, who failed to win a parliamentary seat in the area last week, will contest the mayoralty.

A spokesman for Jim Fitzpatrick, Labour MP for the borough’s Poplar and Limehouse constituency, said: ‘Jim was certainly against an elected mayor and so was the whole Labour party.’ The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats also opposed the idea.

The Tower Hamlets result is only the thirteenth ‘yes’ vote secured in 38 mayoral referendums, and one of only four to be have been held in the past five years.

Four mayoral elections took place last week, in Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Watford. In all four, the incumbents were re-elected.

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