Public debate on Mayor for Nottingham

Write-up of a debate on the executive mayor for Nottingham, held on 18th April, 2012 and written up the next day; A second meeting was held on Wednesday, 2nd May, 2012 at the Nottingham Playhouse. See https://www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/news/mary-shelley-set-used-to-host-political-debate/ In the first full public debate on Nottingham, called by the Chamber of Commerce, businesses heard enough to realise that an elected Executive Mayor could cause them real problems. Graham Chapman, the Deputy Leader of the City Council, talked at a detailed yet practical level about how elected Executive Mayors had pranged arrangements and relationships elsewhere. Meanwhile, Lord Andrew Adonis, well regarded by many of us for his championing of high-speed rail dismissed centuries of British democracy by calling for elected Chief Executives. Crikey, even the Prime Minister has a Cabinet Secretary. The Cities Minister, challenged to cite one power that would be granted to cities with elected mayors, said "transport"; more a policy and service area than a power. (and he couldn't say anything else cos his gov't didn't agree the powers despite Michael Heseltine begging them to.) Independent observers judged that businesses were much less for the idea of change after the meeting than before.