“I welcome the fact that the Party is taking governance and accountability seriously”
Members of Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) and party sources have defended rule changes designed to make regional mayors more accountable and better connected to existing party structures and party members.
A party source told LFF that Labour Metro Mayors are doing great work across the country to improve people’s lives and deliver change and the proposed rule changes (put before the NEC), ‘are simply designed to modernise our processes to recognise the increased importance of these office holders as they have expanded over recent years, and better link them to existing Labour Party structures and party members’.
LabourList previously reported on proposed rule changes put to the NEC which would see Labour mayors required to write reports for their regional executive committees (RECs), and the RECs to in turn report to the NEC on mayors’ ‘contribution to campaigning’.
The blog also reported that under rule changes there were ‘plans to consider reports from regional mayors seeking re-endorsement before approval and clarifying terminology in the party’s rulebook’.
‘Labour’s regional mayors could also face “disciplinary action” if a two percent levy on their salaries is not paid. A similar levy is also applied to earnings by Labour MPs and councillors’, LabourList reported.
Labour NEC member Jess Barnard had claimed that the proposals would ‘centralise power’ within the NEC, ‘stifle diversity of thought’ and undermined the ‘autonomy’ of elected representatives.
However, Barnard’s claims have been rejected by fellow NEC member Jane Thomas who welcomed the fact that the party is taking accountability and governance seriously.
Thomas told LFF: “I welcome the fact that the Party is taking governance and accountability seriously. By next May the whole of the Yorkshire and the Humber region will be covered by elected mayors so it is only right and proper there is adequate scrutiny of the role, along with alignment of policies and campaigns.”
A separate Labour source also told LFF that the changes were designed to better link regional mayors to existing party structures.
They said: “This link is already well established with all other Labour elected officials, from the party leader all the way through to local councillors, and has proven to be a very effective way to support campaigning and governing.”
Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward
To reach hundreds of thousands of new readers we need to grow our donor base substantially.
That’s why in 2024, we are seeking to generate 150 additional regular donors to support Left Foot Forward’s work.
We still need another 117 people to donate to hit the target. You can help. Donate today.
