High Court Challenge Looms Over Plymouth Mayoral Referendum

The campaign for a directly elected Mayor for Plymouth has declared its intention to challenge the Government in the High Court, following an announcement that appears to thwart the city's aspirations for a directly elected leader.

The dispute centres on a referendum scheduled for Thursday, July 17th, in which Plymouth residents will decide between maintaining the current system of a councillor-chosen leader and cabinet, or adopting a more democratic model with a directly elected mayor and cabinet.

Yesterday, Jim McMahon MP, Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, stated that no new city mayors would be created. While the 13 existing directly-elected council mayors would remain, the Government would not support the "creation of new ones." He confirmed that, even if Plymouth votes in favour of a directly elected mayor on July 17th, the inaugural election would be delayed from May 2026, as stipulated in current legislation, to May 2027 - with an intention to prevent a Mayor taking office.

'Betrayal of Democracy'

Angus Forbes, the driving force behind the Mayor for Plymouth Campaign, today accused the Government of a "betrayal of democracy, current legislation, and the people of Plymouth." Mr. Forbes contends that Mr. McMahon's proposals lack legal basis under existing law and has vowed to challenge them in the High Court.

He also raised concerns about the conduct of the opposing Labour-run campaign, "Plymouth Knows Better," alleging they have breached referendum rules by utilising the Electoral Roll for canvassing, a practice explicitly forbidden by the Electoral Officer and Counting Officer of Plymouth City Council for this particular referendum.

The Government's statement indicated a push to legislate and standardise the "Leader and Cabinet model." However, Mayor for Plymouth campaigners argue that the referendum is being conducted under present law, not prospective legislation, and represents a "once-in-a-generation chance for city people to make a real difference."

Campaigners Vow to Fight

Writing on the "A Mayor for Plymouth" Facebook page, campaigners expressed their resolve: "The Government is willing to put the suffering of tens of thousands of its citizens to the side, in pursuit of the retention of political power. They are betraying democracy, current legislation, and the citizens of Plymouth."

They emphasised that 13,800 Plymouthians signed the petition for a referendum under current legislation, asserting their right to vote and to see the outcome honoured. "We will challenge Jim McMahon MP's proposal if necessary, and we will also pursue the Labour-run Plymouth Knows Better Campaign group, which has broken the rules of the referendum," the statement read.

The campaigners urged residents to participate in the upcoming vote, stating, "The events of the past 24 hours make it even more critical that we show not just Plymouth City Council and its Leader but the UK Government that we've had enough and we're not going to take it anymore." They called on citizens to "VOTE!" whether by postal ballot or in person on July 17th.