Tell Keir Starmer: Give Mayors The Power To Build
Directly elected mayors know what’s best for their areas. They should be the ones making the big decisions about what transport infrastructure gets built there.
But right now, they have to go cap in hand to Westminster to get anything done.
There’s a chance to change this. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill is moving through Parliament. To live up to its name and empower our cities it must give all 14 of England’s directly elected mayors the power to approve, fund, and deliver transport projects themselves.
This is how successful countries do it. Keeping these powers locked up in Westminster is one reason Britain is so bad at building. It’s why Leeds is the largest city in Western Europe without a mass transit system.
Stopping mayors from deciding what gets built is making England's cities poorer. Keir Starmer should give mayors the power to build.