Plymouth's Labour Party has raised concerns about a proposed £410k referendum on whether the city should elect its mayor directly. The city's council recently published a Notice of Valid Petition, confirming that a referendum will be held later this year.

The petition, initiated by the group "Yesdemplymouth," gathered 13,250 signatures—surpassing the five percent of the electorate required to trigger the referendum. Last week, the city council's cabinet approved allocating £410,000 to fund the referendum, with the decision expected to be ratified by the full council next week.

Under current arrangements, Plymouth's leader is elected by councillors. If the referendum passes, the city would elect a mayor, and the council leader position would be eliminated.

The campaign is being led by former banker Angus Forbes, husband of former Strictly Come Dancing judge Darcey Bussell. Forbes has declined to comment until the referendum date is confirmed.

Plymouth residents last voted against an elected mayor in 2001, with 59% of participants rejecting the proposal. Cllr Tudor Evans, the current leader of Plymouth City Council (Lab, Ham), described the referendum as “a vanity project” and expressed concerns over the potential cost, which could use up funds intended for essential services like grass cutting for up to 18 months.

Evans further warned that the ongoing costs of maintaining a mayor’s office could total around £1.5 million, which would be diverted from local services. He dismissed the notion of Plymouth having a mayor with powers akin to those in metropolitan areas like Greater Manchester, calling it “a fantasy.” According to Evans, the role of an elected mayor in Plymouth would effectively resemble that of the current council leader, with no additional authority.

Plymouth's Labour Party has also criticized the referendum, calling it a “complete white elephant.” A Labour spokesperson stated: “We all want to see Plymouth thrive—but this is a complete white elephant with no new powers or money. The Yes to DEM campaign is built on misinformation and false promises. They haven’t been honest about what services they would cut to pay for this or why they’re pushing a model that has already failed elsewhere. This is a disastrous distraction from the real issues facing our city. Plymouth deserves better than being dragged into an expensive, pointless experiment.”

The spokesperson continued: “Instead of tackling the issues that matter—fixing our roads, improving services, and supporting communities—this £410,000 referendum and potential future costs will drain public funds on a failed idea that has been overwhelmingly rejected in many other parts of the country.”

The spokesperson emphasized that Plymouth would not receive new funding or powers from a directly elected mayor and would only face added bureaucracy. Additionally, the proposal would see the person running the council receiving a salary of £80,000, which would be funded by taxpayers along with the costs of holding two elections.

In response, Yesdemplymouth defended the proposal on its website, stating: “When the whole of Plymouth chooses their leader directly with tens of thousands of votes, this is a very powerful action. In Plymouth, our main problem is the terrible level of poverty, and its effects, including violence against women and girls, truancy, health service provision, crime, and loss of self-esteem.”

The group argued that the current system, where the leader is indirectly elected, is overly political and lacks clear, long-term objectives. They also criticized the cabinet selection process, which they claim is based on political motivations, and noted that too much power resides with senior non-elected officers.

The debate over the referendum reflects growing tensions about how Plymouth should be governed in the future. As the city prepares for the referendum later this year, the issue of whether to directly elect a mayor continues to divide public opinion.