Open petition: Require a referendum for the establishment of any combined mayoral authority

Created by Jasper Hewerdine
Closes on 18 June 2026

We demand the introduction of a statutory requirement for the government to hold a legally binding referendum before the establishment of any combined mayoral authority in England.

We view combined mayoral authorities as centralising power and removing the most local level of government, taking decisions away from those who know communities best. We believe that what we see as large super-councils being established are unable to address local needs or represent the diversity of large regions and counties. We think the imported presidentialism of executive mayors cannot effectively represent whole counties or regions, and erase the deliberative tradition of our politics. People should be able to vote on and reject combined mayoral authority proposals if they wish.

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