Lord Heseltine: No better job in politics than being a mayor
- Published
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has had a high profile during the pandemic
There is no better job in politics right now than being an elected mayor in England, Lord Heseltine has said.
The veteran politician said the likes of Andy Burnham and Andy Street had made a real impact and urged others to follow their lead by pursuing "more exciting" careers beyond Westminster.
Regional leaders had the chance to become "world figures", he told MPs.
He also lamented the slow progress of local government reform, saying there was "no sense of urgency" in Whitehall.
He urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to throw his weight behind plans to streamline councils across England, saying more effective local decision-making and delivery was essential to bouncing back from the pandemic.
Many of England's 24 directly elected mayors, including London's Sadiq Khan, Greater Manchester's Andy Burnham and West Midlands' Andy Street - face re-election in May.
Appearing before the Commons Public Administration Committee, former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine - who championed urban regeneration under Margaret Thatcher and advised David Cameron on devolution - praised their contribution and said more parts of England needed their own champions.
The peer, who lost the Conservative whip in 2019 after a row over Brexit, said Mr Burnham and Liverpool City Region's Steve Rotheram were "interesting examples... of MPs who have seen the job as more exciting than a career in Westminster".
Lord Heseltine served in Margaret Thatcher's and John Major's governments
Asked how he would nurture local leadership, he said he would "strongly encourage" sitting MPs and people in other walks of life thinking of a career in public service to emulate them and "trust the democratic process".
"I can't think of a much better job in politics than to be the mayor of one of England's great cities."
He added: "I know this is slightly pie-in-the-sky but what about being mayor of Greater Yorkshire. You'd be a world figure. The brand Yorkshire is just so exciting as a concept...but Yorkshire can't agree how to do it."
'Other voices'
Also giving evidence, former Labour cabinet minister John Denham - now an expert on English devolution and political identity - said mayors were not suitable for all regions of the country and the current patchwork system was partly a product of the government's "inconsistent messaging".
"I think history records that One Yorkshire was sunk by the government despite the efforts of local people in Yorkshire to pull it off," he said.
At the moment, Yorkshire has a number of different mayors at a regional and town level. including Sheffield City's Dan Jarvis, while West Yorkshire is due to elect its first mayor in May.
Professor Denham said elected mayors worked best where they were "high-profile" figures but had to "negotiate on a daily basis" with other accountable bodies and individuals, such as powerful Combined Authorities and MPs.
"Andy Burnham's ability to be effective does not just depend on him being the Labour Greater Manchester mayor and structures which still encourage other voices in the area are important," he said.
Also giving evidence, the Tory chair of the County Councils Network, David Williams, said devolution had been too focused on cities and an overhaul of local government structures at a county and district level was "long overdue".