My Role

When Leicester City Council decided that it wanted to have a city mayor to run the city, it took a very brave step. Only a handful of cities across the UK have such a role, so there is little experience of how a city mayor works.

But there are some strong principles that lie behind the principle of a city mayor, which I think make this a better way of running major cities like Leicester.

I believe that having someone who has been elected by the people of Leicester and who is then clearly accountable for the decisions made by the council must be a step forward. I was elected on a very clear manifesto and fully expect to be held to account for the delivery of what I pledged to do in that manifesto.
 
Secondly, because my initial term of office is for four years, there is a stability that allows my colleagues and I to take a longer-term view of what we want to achieve in Leicester. Gone are the days of the council leadership being put up for grabs every year and, whenever changes came, a different approach adopted.

Although I have full decision-making powers, I won’t be making those decisions without listening to what people tell me they want. The deputy city mayor, assistant city mayors and I will spend as much of our time as possible out in the community, talking to people about their hopes and ambitions for the city.

We will also be meeting regularly with people from the business and voluntary sectors and with the universities to hear what they have to say.

Just as importantly, we will listen to the people who work for the council. There is a great deal of experience and expertise here at the council and I want to make sure we use that to its fullest potential.

Contact me

Write to me: The City Mayor, Leicester City Council, 7th Floor, Block B, New Walk Centre, Welford Place, Leicester LE1 6ZG.

Meet my team

Thanks to everyone who's seen us at our Meet the Mayor events so far this year. 

Our next event is on: 

• Saturday 1st June between 12 midday and 1pm at the Riverside Festival.