21 November 2011
Liverpool University will this week (Thursday 24th November) host a special debate on government plans for an elected mayor for Liverpool City Region, including St Helens.
And St Helens Green Party will be there to find out exactly what is going on and how decisions being made and London and Liverpool might affect our town.
Chaired by BBC Radio Merseyside’s Roger Phillips, Mayor or Nightmare will feature a special panel discussion with former Labour minister Lord Adonis, Liverpool City Council’s Malcolm Kennedy, the university’s own Professor Jon Tonge and ex-Mayor of Cologne Fritz Schramma.
St Helens Green Party vice-chair, Francis Williams says:
“Thanks to our local politicians, who have been actively developing Liverpool City Region behind our backs for years, St Helens is sleeping walking into city region governance.
“Where is the democracy, the transparency, the accountability? Maybe we’ll get some answers in Liverpool, because we certainly don’t seem to be able to get any clarity closer to home.
“Local authorities, businesses and others working together to tackle key challenges such as economic development and climate change makes perfect sense. But, equally, it makes sense for us to hang on to our identity – and St Helens has been suffering an identity crisis since 1974. This could be the final nail in our coffin.
“If nobody else is going to stand up for St Helens, we will. St Helens hasn't Liverpool's riches in terms of heritage and culture – few places have – but we have to make the most of what we’ve got to put St Helens back on the map. Our economy, jobs, prospects, livelihoods and quality of life depend on it.
"Sadly, the historical record shows that there is little reason to believe that the current council leadership will stand up for St Helens, only self-preservation. So it is up to the people of St Helens to take matters into their own hands – assuming they are asked.”
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