Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent

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Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent
AppointerElectorate of Stoke-on-Trent
PrecursorCouncil Leader
Formation2002
First holder Mike Wolfe
Final holder Mark Meredith
Abolished2009
SuccessionCouncil Leader

The Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent was an executive mayoralty that existed from 2002 to 2009, [1] when the executive of Stoke-on-Trent City Council was a directly elected mayor. The authority was unique in being the only authority in England with an elected mayor and council manager. [2] The first mayor was Mike Wolfe, a former manager of the Citizen's Advice Bureau in the city. He had stood as an independent, but was defeated by Mark Meredith representing the Labour Party in 2005. [3] A referendum was held on 24 October 2008. Residents voted in favour of a return to the council leader and cabinet system. [4] There was controversy when it was revealed three years later that plans to close a swimming pool in the city had been agreed privately by the former mayor. [5]

Contents

Referendum

2002

Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent referendum
2 May 2002
ChoiceVotes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Elected Mayor28,60158.2
Cabinet System20,57841.8
Required majority50
Total votes49,179100.00
Source: House of Commons Library [6]

2008

Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent referendum
23 October 2008
ChoiceVotes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svg Cabinet System21,23159
Elected Mayor14,59241
Required majority50
Total votes35,823100.00
Source: This is Staffordshire [7]

2002

Stoke-on-Trent Mayoral Election 17 October 2002 [8]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Mayor 4 Stoke Mike Wolfe 9,35621.3%3,33712,69350.6%
Labour George Stevenson 9,75222.2%2,62712,37949.4%
BNP Steven Batkin8,21318.7%
Conservative Roger Ibbs4,41710.0%
Independent Geoffery Snow3,9759.0%
Liberal Democrats Fred Morrow1,8265.5%
Independent Paul Breeze1,3493.1%
Independent Patricia Whitehouse1,2802.9%
Independent Graham Wilkes1,1572.6%
Adrian Knapper Independent PartyAdrian Knapper7081.6%
Independent Harry Chesters4531.0%
Mayor 4 Stoke win

2005

Stoke-on-Trent Mayoral Election, 5 May 2005 [9]
PartyCandidate1st round2nd round
 First round votes  Transfer votes 
TotalOf roundTransfersTotalOf round
Labour Mark Meredith 27,25332.9%9,70836,96161.5%
Conservative Roger Ibbs16,21119.5%6,91923,13038.5%
Supports Green Shoots Mike Wolfe 15,88219.1%
BNP Steven Batkin15,77619.0%
Independent Gary Chevin4,5055.4%
Independent Justine Harvey1,9552.4%
Independent Gary Falconer1,3681.6%
Labour gain from Mayor 4 Stoke

List of mayors

Related Research Articles

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Mark Joseph Meredith was the second and last directly elected mayor of Stoke-on-Trent in England. An openly gay man and former amateur boxer he was elected on 5 May 2005, for the Labour Party, and defeated incumbent independent Mike Wolfe. In March 2009, Meredith was arrested on suspicion of corruption in office, but was never charged. He returned to the City Council as a Councillor for the Birches Head and Central Forest Park ward at the 2011 local elections serving until his defeat in 2015. On 8 May it was confirmed that he had not been re-elected for his ward for another term of office and had been replaced by a candidate of the City Independent group in Stoke-on-Trent.

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Stoke-on-Trent City Council elections are held every four years. Stoke-on-Trent City Council is the local authority for the unitary authority of Stoke-on-Trent in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England. Since the last boundary changes in 2011, 44 councillors have been elected from 37 wards. New ward boundaries have been prepared to come into effect from the 2023 election.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gareth Snell</span> British Labour politician

Gareth Craig Snell is a British former politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Stoke-on-Trent Central from 2017 to 2019. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he was Leader of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council from 2012 to 2014. In July 2022, Snell was reselected as the Labour Parliamentary Prospective Candidate for Stoke-on-Trent Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Florence Farmer</span> Pioneer of women in politics in Stoke on Trent

Florence Ann Farmer was a pioneer of women in politics in Stoke on Trent, Staffordshire, England who was the first female councillor on the county borough council before becoming the first female Lord Mayor of the city in 1931–32.

References

  1. "Staffordshire Live - Latest local news, sport & business from Staffordshire".
  2. "Mayor 'No' vote would be ignored". 19 June 2008.
  3. "Mayoral battle is won by Labour". 6 May 2005.
  4. http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/breaking-news-city-votes-scrap-elected-mayor/story-12552564-detail/story.html [ dead link ]
  5. "Ex-Stoke mayor Mark Meredith agreed Dimensions pool closure". BBC News. 23 November 2011.
  6. "Local Elections in England: 2 May 2002" (PDF). House of Commons Library. 9 May 2002. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  7. "Referendum Result: City votes to scrap elected mayor". This is Staffordshire. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 20 January 2013.
  8. "Wolfe savours mayoral fight". The Guardian. 17 October 2002. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  9. "Local and Mayoral Elections 2005" (PDF). House of Commons library. Retrieved 23 December 2012.