England and Wales mayoral referendums
As of May 2014, there have been 51 referendums on the question of changing executive arrangements to a model with a directly elected mayor. Of these, 16 have resulted in the establishment of a new mayoralty and 35 have been rejected by voters. Referendums are triggered by council resolution, local petition or central government intervention.
Change to elected mayor?
"Yes" majority shown in green, "No" majority shown in red.
Local authority |
Date |
Yes votes |
Yes vote % |
No votes |
No vote % |
Turnout % |
Berwick-upon-Tweed |
7 June 2001 |
3,617 |
26 |
10,212 |
74 |
64 |
Cheltenham |
28 June 2001 |
8,083 |
33 |
16,602 |
67 |
32 |
Gloucester |
28 June 2001 |
7,731 |
32 |
16,317 |
68 |
31 |
Watford |
12 July 2001 |
7,636 |
52 |
7,140 |
48 |
25 |
Doncaster |
20 September 2001 |
35,453 |
65 |
19,398 |
35 |
25 |
Kirklees |
4 October 2001 |
10,169 |
27 |
27,977 |
73 |
13 |
Sunderland |
11 October 2001 |
9,375 |
43 |
12,209 |
57 |
10 |
Brighton & Hove |
18 October 2001 |
22,724 |
38 |
37,214 |
62 |
32 |
Hartlepool |
18 October 2001 |
10,667 |
51 |
10,294 |
49 |
34 |
Lewisham |
18 October 2001 |
16,822 |
51 |
15,914 |
49 |
18 |
Middlesbrough |
18 October 2001 |
29,067 |
84 |
5,422 |
16 |
34 |
North Tyneside |
18 October 2001 |
30,262 |
58 |
22,296 |
42 |
36 |
Sedgefield |
18 October 2001 |
10,628 |
47 |
11,869 |
53 |
33 |
Redditch |
8 November 2001 |
7,250 |
44 |
9,198 |
56 |
28 |
Durham |
20 November 2001 |
8,327 |
41 |
11,974 |
59 |
29 |
Harrow |
6 December 2001 |
17,502 |
43 |
23,554 |
57 |
26 |
Plymouth |
24 January 2002 |
29,559 |
41 |
42,811 |
59 |
40 |
Harlow |
24 January 2002 |
5,296 |
25 |
15,490 |
75 |
25 |
Newham |
31 January 2002 |
27,263 |
68 |
12,687 |
32 |
26 |
Southwark |
31 January 2002 |
6,054 |
31 |
13,217 |
69 |
11 |
West Devon |
31 January 2002 |
3,555 |
23 |
12,190 |
77 |
42 |
Shepway |
31 January 2002 |
11,357 |
44 |
14,438 |
56 |
36 |
Bedford |
21 February 2002 |
11,316 |
67 |
5,537 |
33 |
16 |
Hackney |
2 May 2002 |
24,697 |
59 |
10,547 |
41 |
32 |
Mansfield |
2 May 2002 |
8,973 |
55 |
7,350 |
45 |
21 |
Newcastle-under-Lyme |
2 May 2002 |
12,912 |
44 |
16,468 |
56 |
31.5 |
Oxford |
2 May 2002 |
14,692 |
44 |
18,686 |
56 |
34 |
Stoke-on-Trent |
2 May 2002 |
28,601 |
58 |
20,578 |
42 |
27 |
Corby |
1 October 2002 |
5,351 |
46 |
6239 |
54 |
31 |
Ealing |
12 December 2002 |
9,454 |
45 |
11,655 |
55 |
10 |
Ceredigion |
20 May 2004 |
5,308 |
27 |
14,013 |
73 |
36 |
Isle of Wight |
5 May 2005 |
28,786 |
43.7 |
37,097 |
56.3 |
60.4 |
Fenland |
14 July 2005 |
5,509 |
24.2 |
17,296 |
75.8 |
33.6 |
Torbay |
14 July 2005 |
18,074 |
55.2 |
14,682 |
44.8 |
32.1 |
Crewe and Nantwich |
4 May 2006 |
11,808 |
38.2 |
18,768 |
60.8 |
35.3 |
Darlington |
27 September 2007 |
7,981 |
41.6 |
11,226 |
58.4 |
24.6 |
Bury |
3 July 2008 |
10,338 |
40.1 |
15,425 |
59.9 |
18.3 |
Tower Hamlets |
6 May 2010 |
60,758 |
60.3 |
39,857 |
39.7 |
62.1 |
Great Yarmouth |
5 May 2011 |
10,051 |
39.2 |
15,595 |
60.8 |
36 |
Salford |
26 January 2012 |
17,344 |
56.0 |
13,653 |
44.0 |
18.1 |
Birmingham |
3 May 2012 |
88,085 |
42.2 |
120,611 |
57.8 |
28.35 |
Bradford |
3 May 2012 |
53,949 |
44.9 |
66,283 |
55.1 |
35 |
Bristol |
3 May 2012 |
41,032 |
53 |
35,880 |
47 |
24 |
Coventry |
3 May 2012 |
22,619 |
36.4 |
39,483 |
63.6 |
26.6 |
Leeds |
3 May 2012 |
62,440 |
36.7 |
107,910 |
63.3 |
31 |
Manchester |
3 May 2012 |
42,677 |
46.8 |
48,593 |
53.2 |
25.3 |
Newcastle upon Tyne |
3 May 2012 |
24,630 |
38.1 |
40,089 |
61.9 |
|
Nottingham |
3 May 2012 |
20,943 |
42.5 |
28,320 |
57.5 |
23.9 |
Sheffield |
3 May 2012 |
44,571 |
35.0 |
82,890 |
65.0 |
|
Wakefield |
3 May 2012 |
27,610 |
37.8 |
45,357 |
62.2 |
|
Copeland |
22 May 2014 |
12,671 |
69.8 |
5,489 |
30.2 |
33.9 |
Change to leader and cabinet (removal of mayor)?
There have been four referendums on the question of removing the post of elected mayor. Two mayoral posts have been disestablished following a vote and two retained.
"Yes" majority shown in green, "No" majority shown in red.
Local authority |
Date |
Yes votes |
Yes vote % |
No votes |
No vote % |
Turnout % |
Stoke-on-Trent |
23 October 2008 |
21,231 |
59 |
14,592 |
41 |
19.2 |
Doncaster |
3 May 2012 |
25,879 |
37.8 |
42,196 |
61.7 |
30.7 |
Hartlepool |
3 May 2012 |
7,366 |
58.7 |
5,177 |
41.3 |
18 |
Middlesbrough |
26 September 2013 |
6,455 |
42.75 |
8,674 |
57.25 |
15 |
See also
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| Devolved areas | |
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| Referendums1 | |
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| Heads of devolved governments | |
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| Devolved legislatures2 | |
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| Devolved administrations3 | |
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| Organisations and laws of the legislatures and governments of the UK and the devolved areas | | |
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| Commissions (devolved legislatures) | |
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- Greater London Authority Acts
- Northern Ireland Acts
- Government of Wales Acts
- Scotland Acts
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| Select committees | |
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| Elections | |
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| Related articles | Current | |
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| Proposals | |
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| Historical | |
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| 1. Rejected referendums are italicised. The others were fully or partially approved. 2. There is no law-making body for any regionally devolved area. 3. Administrations of regionally devolved araes are omitted. Category |
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