Bid to force referendum on elected mayor Leicester misses deadline
A key deadline has been missed in a campaign to try to force a referendum on whether Leicester's elected mayor post should be scrapped.
A petition launched by city businessman Callum McKeefery in November aimed to trigger a vote on whether to abolish Sir Peter Soulsby's position.
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Callum McKeefery
If 12,000 names – five per cent of the city electorate – had been submitted it would have secured the vote at the earliest opportunity, in May.
Leicester City Council has said no petition has been handed in to date.
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Mr McKeefery has not responded to attempts by the Mercury in the past few weeks to find out how his campaign has progressed. It has led to speculation among councillors that he may have abandoned it.
Mr McKeefery, the owner of a bar and nightclub in the city centre, launched the campaign because of his opposition to Sir Peter's plans to turn St Nicholas Place into a £4 million public plaza, Jubilee Square.
Colin Copus, professor of local politics at De Montfort University, said: "The campaign has missed the boat in terms of getting a referendum at the first possible date.
"That is not to say the petition may not be doing well, but if it was proving popular I think we would have heard about it.
"Perhaps there has not been the support anticipated.
"Any petition that is to be successful in getting signatures needs activity and publicity.
"There has not been much sign of that and people will start to draw their own conclusions about what that means."
Elections are normally held on the first Thursday of May.
A city council spokesman said: "For a referendum to be held on May 2, the deadline for the receipt of a valid petition was January 3.
"No such petition has been received by the council.
"Should the council receive a valid petition in the future, the likely date for a referendum would be six months after the receipt of that petition."
Most cities that have held a referendum on whether to have their council run by an elected mayor have rejected the idea.
In Leicester, the system was introduced by the majority of Labour councillors and implemented in May 2010 without voters being offered a referendum.
Sir Peter, however, said he was confident he would win such a vote.
He said: "I would welcome it. I can't imagine people will want to return to the old, undemocratic system where an anonymous council leader and his colleagues run things.
"People may disagree with me on some things but at least they know who to blame if they don't like what happens. They will be able to decide whether to keep me or not at the next election."
Even if the petition secured a referendum and people voted against the mayoral system, under current legislation Sir Peter would see out his term as mayor, which lasts until May 2015.
Comments
by Bob491
Wednesday, January 16 2013, 12:05AM
“Quote: "I feel sure he would get more people involved"
You think this bar owner might manage 25 signatures that way then!
But almost 50,000 voted him in as first choice for Mayor, and it will be more next time round as he is doing such a good job.”
by jimbob6163
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 3:27PM
“Having read what bob491 said about the signatures could not this man put the signature list on the Internet I feel sure he would get more people involved in signing up to get the Mayor removed, Thanks for the Idea bob”
by Jagomeister
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 2:49PM
“Seems to me there was a lot of hot air from commenters on this forum including some coming from Callum. Clearly if there was much lack of confidence in the mayor we would be reading a different story now.”
by Bob491
Tuesday, January 15 2013, 11:37AM
“Quote from demo: "Supporting Peter Soulsby only proves how poor the education system is."
What a ridiculous and totally undemoctatic comment.
It is obvious who has a poor education here, isn't it.”
by jimbob6163
Monday, January 14 2013, 3:25PM
“Where do I sign Me thinks bob491 must be a Labour voter”
by democrat
Monday, January 14 2013, 1:17PM
“The fact is that no-one knows how many people are happy with Peter Soulsby's plans - not that it matters anyway as he will 'press on' regardless.
Supporting Peter Soulsby only proves how poor the education system is.”
by Bob491
Monday, January 14 2013, 1:14PM
“I think many of those 'whingers and whiners' are the same person operating under many different guises.”
by Kohelet
Monday, January 14 2013, 1:13PM
“To try for a petition because you object to a single issue, the St Nicholas Sqaure plan, was not sensible. Object to the whole concept of a Mayor and do this or oppose the single issue face on.”
by Red_Ned
Monday, January 14 2013, 1:00PM
“The fact is outside of the dozen or so obsessives who post on here most people are perfectly happy with Sir Peter Soulsby's plans the city. The whingers and whiners can "red arrow" as much as they like, but here's the proof that it is they who in the minority.”
by Bob491
Monday, January 14 2013, 10:14AM
“I'm waiting to hear if this bar owner has managed 25 signatures yet. I rather suspect he has not.
Meanwhile Sir Peter Soulsby continues to do a great job for Leicester.”