Tories propose more city mayors

The Tories say they would free councils from central government

The Conservatives say 12 of England's biggest cities outside London will get a vote on bringing in directly elected mayors if they win power.

Referendums would be held on a single day in cities including Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Sheffield and Liverpool.

The party would also allowing voters to veto big council tax rises, it said.

But Labour said cities could already choose to have elected mayors and there was "little new" in the plans.

Elected mayors were a key plank of Labour's plans to shake-up local democracy but take-up proved patchy.

'One to blame'

For a town or city to hold a referendum on having an elected mayor, it needs a petition signed by 5% of voters - and the majority of areas which held a vote rejected the idea.

Instead the Tory proposals would see a series of referendums held across 12 cities on a single day.

Birmingham, Bradford, Bristol, Coventry, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nottingham, Sheffield and Wakefield could get mayors with similar executive powers to London's Boris Johnson.

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Conservative leader David Cameron said former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine, who carried out a policy review on inner-city regeneration for the party, would help "define the powers of these city mayors".

Mr Cameron told the BBC he was a "big fan" of elected mayors, adding: "I think it helps accountability. People then know there is one person that they can praise when they get it right, that they can blame when they get it wrong."

Funding 'cuts'

Under the Tory plans, caps on council tax rises would be scrapped. Instead, if increases broke a certain threshold, 5% of council tax payers could trigger a local referendum.

The Conservatives also propose making councils publish detailed information on expenditure, including senior staff's pay and perks and guidance to stop "rewards for failure" for sacked workers.

Regional Development Agencies would lose their planning and housing powers to councils and the party says it would scrap the controversial Infrastructure Planning Commission - set up by the government to take decisions on major projects like airports to streamline the planning process.

Mr Cameron says ministers have taken too many powers from local authorities over decades.

But local government minister John Healey said: "Labour has devolved power to councils and the public, reversing the centralisation of the Thatcher years.

"The Tory proposals offer little new - our major cities can already choose to have a mayor.

"The Tories say they back councils but are set to cut cash for local authorities, meaning increases to council tax bills or cuts to local services, at a time when people need real help the most."

And the National Housing Federation, which represents housing associations in England, said it would be a mistake to scrap all house-building targets.

Chief executive David Orr said: "Targets ensure there's a clear link between priorities and government spending. They also ensure that, as a nation, we have a clear assessment of the scale of need, and they help to concentrate the minds of central and local government and house-builders alike."