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Why are our mayors winning on less than 30% of the vote?

This past week’s mayoral elections marked a worrying milestone for democracy in England. For the first time ever, two combined authority mayors have been elected on less than 30% of the vote – with one...

Posted 07 May 2025

With growing support for more parties, voters are demanding more choice

Are we going to see Mayors elected with even lower levels of public support in 2025?

Four Combined Authority mayors will be elected on 1 May 2025, but changes to the rules could see mayors taking power with little public support locally. Voters are going to the polls in the following...

Posted 24 Apr 2025

Mayors could be elected with the backing of fewer than 30 percent of voters

Positive statements on restoring the electoral system for Mayors and PCCs

There have been positive noises from government ministers on repairing one part of the damage done to our democracy by the previous government. At the Local Government Association conference this week, government minister Jim McMahon...

Posted 24 Oct 2024

Will the electoral system for directly elected leaders be addressed in the White Paper on Devolution

Imposing First Past the Post on these roles was a mistake

The recent mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections took place under a First Past the Post (FPTP) system, where people are able to put just one ‘X’ on their ballot – choosing only one...

Posted 15 May 2024

Did eight Conservative Police and Crime Commissioners win due to voting change

Local elections: A third of the vote shouldn’t make a mayor

The local and mayoral elections saw the corrosive impact First Past the Post is having on our democracy writ large. Not only did we witness its continued distorting effect on local council elections, with a...

Posted 08 May 2024

This election lowered the bar for politicians and raised it for voters

24 years ago the Greater London Authority Act gained royal assent

This weekend (11th November) marks the 24th anniversary of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 gaining royal assent. The Greater London Authority, comprising the Mayor of London and the London Assembly, was first elected in...

Posted 10 Nov 2023

72% of Londoners backed the proposals, which included a Mayor elected via the Supplementary Vote

First Past the Post in mayoral elections means less choice and a weaker voice

This week, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has said he is facing his ‘toughest election yet’ but why is that? When Labour have a national polling majority of somewhere in the region of 20...

Posted 02 Nov 2023

First Past the Post in mayoral elections means less choice and a weaker voice

New rules see Mayors elected without majority support

Coverage of the local elections has been dominated by punditry over what the results mean for next year’s general election and the government’s controversial voter ID scheme, which saw countless people turned away from casting...

Posted 10 May 2023

What is a combined authority and what is a metro mayor?

Local government in England comes in many different formats, unitary, district and county councils all cover different parts of the country. In recent years, mayoral combined authorities have become an established part of the English...

Posted 24 Mar 2022

41 percent of England’s population now live in areas with some form of mayoral devolution deal

These government plans will hit 44m voters with less choice and a weaker voice

Millions of people went to the polls this Thursday in England and Wales to elect PCCs, plus Combined Authority mayors and the London mayor– using the Supplementary Vote system (SV).

Posted 07 May 2021