Roger Lightup
Salford MPs claimed to be backing the ‘Yes’ campaign for a directly-elected Mayor have come down on the side of ‘No’ campaigners.
The ‘Yes’ campaign put out leaflets saying that Labour’s Hazel Blears and Barbara Keeley were supporting their bid .
But in a joint statement the MPs said: “We have never endorsed the ‘Yes’ campaign. We urge citizens of Salford to vote ‘No’ in the referendum on January 26th. Statements appearing in the ‘Yes’ campaign leaflets are out of context.
“We are proud to have belonged to a Government that gave people the right to decide on a directly-elected mayor. Believing that people should have a choice does not mean that it should be in favour no matter when or where.”
Ms Blears added: “I remain in favour of elected mayors but believe they are most effective when they cover large areas such as Greater London, encompassing a number of local authorities. In single Council areas there is a danger that the costs are disproportionate to the benefits.
"At this time when the Government is inflicting severe cuts on Salford Council, now is not the time to be incurring extra costs which would be better spent on frontline services.”
Ms Keeley said: ““I do not support the idea of a directly-elected Mayor in Salford as I believe we do not need an American-style City Boss here.
"Salford Council has to deal with deep budget cuts from the Government. The referendum is a costly distraction from the council’s important work of keeping services going and developing the local economy.”
No Campaign chair Roger Lightup welcomed the clarification. He said: “The Yes campaigners cannot be trusted. This is the second time they have been caught out.
“In the public debate before Christmas they admitted that their main claim that the Council Tax would be halved was not true. They admitted a directly-elected Mayor could increase Council Tax.
“All moderate, sensible political parties think this is the wrong time for a costly referendum which will bring no benefits.”
