15 October 2015
At the Solihull Council meeting on Tuesday 13th October the Green Party demanded that the people of Solihull were given their say on having a new mayor with powers to put up taxes.
Solihull Council was asked to vote on whether or not to sign up to the controversial new West Midlands Combined Authority on Tuesday night. Proposals for the mayor had already been leaked to the press and had caused many residents to express their concerns.
Cllr Tim Hodgson, deputy leader of the Green Party group (the official opposition on Solihull Council) said, "There are good and bad sides to the proposed new Combined Authority super-council but many residents have told me that it really doesn't need a mayor or new taxes to make it work. I'm really concerned that Birmingham voted against having a mayor a few years ago, and it looks like both we and Birmingham may be forced to have one whether we like it or not. This is not a decision any of us councillors were elected to make and it should be one made by Solihull's residents."
Cllr Hodgson tabled an amendment to the Conservative-led proposal to join up to the West Midlands authority at the Council meeting. The amendment committed the council to giving the people of Solihull their say via a referendum should a mayor become a concrete proposal at any point in the future.
The Conservative ruling administration voted unanimously to reject Cllr Hodgson's amendment. All of the other groups on the council (LibDem, UKIP and the Green Party) voted to give the people of Solihull their say.
Cllr Hodgson said, "I am very disappointed indeed at the Conservatives' decision. If an elected mayor is proposed for Solihull, which seems very likely, it now seems that the people of Solihull will not be given a say in the matter."
At the Solihull Council meeting on Tuesday 13th October the Green Party demanded that the people of Solihull were given their say on having a new mayor with powers to put up taxes.
Solihull Council was asked to vote on whether or not to sign up to the controversial new West Midlands Combined Authority on Tuesday night. Proposals for the mayor had already been leaked to the press and had caused many residents to express their concerns.
Cllr Tim Hodgson, deputy leader of the Green Party group (the official opposition on Solihull Council) said, “There are good and bad sides to the proposed new Combined Authority super-council but many residents have told me that it really doesn’t need a mayor or new taxes to make it work. I’m really concerned that Birmingham voted against having a mayor a few years ago, and it looks like both we and Birmingham may be forced to have one whether we like it or not. This is not a decision any of us councillors were elected to make and it should be one made by Solihull’s residents.”
Cllr Hodgson tabled an amendment to the Conservative-led proposal to join up to the West Midlands authority at the Council meeting. The amendment committed the council to giving the people of Solihull their say via a referendum should a mayor become a concrete proposal at any point in the future.
The Conservative ruling administration voted unanimously to reject Cllr Hodgson's amendment. All of the other groups on the council (LibDem, UKIP and the Green Party) voted to give the people of Solihull their say.
Cllr Hodgson said, “I am very disappointed indeed at the Conservatives' decision. If an elected mayor is proposed for Solihull, which seems very likely, it now seems that the people of Solihull will not be given a say in the matter."
