§ Mr. Mark FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what his policy is on introducing directly elected mayors in London boroughs. [8520]
§ Dr. WhiteheadOur policy for London boroughs, as for other local authorities, is that local people should be able to elect a Mayor to lead their council where they so choose, and that people should not be denied the opportunity to make that choice. As stated in the Government's Urban White Paper "Our towns and cities: the future"—Cm. 4911, November 2000—our belief is that international experience suggests that directly elected mayors are often the best option to provide the leadership that larger towns and cities need.