Innovation in urban political leadership. Reflections on the introduction of a directly-elected mayor in Bristol, UK

Hambleton, Robin; Sweeting, David

Abstract

In May 2012, 10 of England's largest cities, outside London, were required to hold referendums giving citizens the option of introducing a directly-elected mayor. Bristol was the only city to vote in favour of the mayoral model. This paper outlines the main themes that feature in current debates about urban leadership. It presents a framework for understanding place-based leadership and, by drawing on a current researchproject on mayoral governance in Bristol, highlights the existence of very different perceptions of how to improve city leadership and democratic accountability. © 2014 CIPFA.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2014
• Journal: Public Money and Management
• Print ISSN: 0954-0962
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-9302
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis (Routledge)
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 34
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 315-322
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2014.945793
• Keywords: directly-elected mayors, leadership, urban governance
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/812783
• Publisher URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2014.945793
• Related Public URLs: http://www.tandfonline.com/rpmm