Referendum plan to scrap Bedford mayoral system to be considered at extraordinary meeting tonight

Doing away with the position held by Conservative Mayor of Bedford Tom Wootton would mean a return to the same system adopted by Luton borough and Central Bedfordshire, with a council leader and cabinet of portfolio holders.

Borough councillors are to consider giving people the chance to review Bedford Council’s governance arrangements, almost a quarter of a century after an initial referendum was held.

Labour Cauldwell councillor Abu Sultan is proposing this evening’s motion, which reacts to the way “the borough, local government and the expectations of residents have evolved significantly” during that time.

The meeting agenda is at pains to point out the motion “isn’t a reflection on any individual mayor, any previous mayor or any political administration”.

Tom Wootton replaced his Liberal Democrat predecessor Dave Hodgson as Bedford Mayor at the 2023 local elections, winning by 145 votes.

Councillor Sultan’s motion notes that: “The borough council adopted the directly elected executive mayor model after a referendum held in 2002.

“Good governance should be accountable, transparent, collaborative and responsive to the communities it serves. Effective local government depends on robust scrutiny, sound decision-making, strong democratic accountability and meaningful involvement from councillors.

“It’s good democratic practice to review constitutional and governance arrangements periodically. The purpose of any such model is to deliver the best possible outcomes for residents through effective leadership, openness, responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources and public confidence in local democracy.”

The motion is asking “whether the current arrangements within Bedford borough remain the most appropriate now and for the future”, and acknowledges that “it’s appropriate any decision around the system should rest with local residents”.

Councillor Sultan is proposing that “the council resolves to:

• agree in principle that the residents should determine whether the local authority continues to operate under the directly elected executive mayor model, or adopt the leader and cabinet model of governance;
• instruct the chief executive and monitoring officer to take all necessary steps, in accordance with the Local Government Act 2000 and other relevant legislation, to arrange a borough-wide referendum on the future governance arrangements of BBC at the earliest opportunity;
• require them to make all necessary arrangements for the administration of the referendum, including the preparation of the exact question, publication of the required notices and compliance with all statutory requirements;
• instruct officers to ensure that all information published by BBC about the referendum is factual, balanced, accessible and politically impartial, enabling residents to make an informed decision;
• and confirm that BBC will implement the referendum outcome as soon as practicably possible, in accordance with the democratic decision of the people of Bedford borough and the Local Government Act 2000 requirements”.

Mayor Tom Wootton has been heavily criticised by his political opponents on issues including town centre regeneration. He was accused in May 2024 of lightening his workload around economic development.

But the Conservatives said changes made were the result of shedding outdated roles. The economic development role was being delegated to a member of the executive.