York’s Conservative Group has condemned Labour proposals to downgrade the role of the city’s Lord Mayor in what they view as supposed financial savings that will in reality cost more in terms of not making full use of the important civic role. Labour is seeking to save £10,000 in the next financial year and higher amounts going forward with changes like getting the Lord Mayor to travel to some events on the bus, taking ceremonial chains to fewer places and cutting the number of events held. They also want to control the charity that the Lord Mayor can fundraise for, so rather than the Lord Mayor picking their charity or charities and as part of that bringing a keen team of fundraisers they will have to raise money for a fund dictated by York’s Labour Council Leader.
Conservative Group Leader Chris Steward said
We were extremely surprised and disappointed to see Labour's sudden plans to downgrade the role of Lord Mayor. This has been done with no cross party involvement whatsoever, which is totally wrong given the non political role of the Lord Mayor and the importance of the role. York has had a Lord Mayor for hundreds of years and it is the most important role outside London.
Any other city would revel in the prestige of the Lord Mayor from the moment it can make in someone's day when they meet them at an event or the role they could have meeting foreign businesses who may bring investment to York. Labour is proposing to save relatively small amounts from their changes to the role of Lord Mayor, which will clearly harm their status. Next year the amount to be saved is less than they give to one of their councillors simply for chairing one committee of the council. Future years talk about cutting the money spent on events but these events have so much good, whether making the day of people in an Elderly People’s Home or school or entertaining the likes of overseas business people or politicians who could then be more likely to invest in York.
It is also wrong and bizarrely dictatorial that Labour will decide who the Lord Mayor's charity should be. Lord Mayors have always picked their own charity and often a number. The Labour leader picking the charity will lessen the unique nature of the Lord Mayor's year and will also no doubt reduce the amount of money raised, given that the Lord Mayor will pick one or more charities that they are passionate about and will supply volunteers from within the charities and not to raise the money.
