Plymouth Votes Low Turnout Referendum on Directly Elected Mayor

Plymouth residents voted in a referendum on whether to change the city's governance from a leader model, in which the council leader is chosen by councillors, to a directly elected mayor model. The referendum, held on July 17 with polling stations open from 7am to 10pm, saw a low turnout of just 19.11%, with 38,015 votes cast out of 160,917 eligible voters. The campaign for a directly elected mayor was led by businessman Angus Forbes, while the Plymouth Knows Better group and some Labour councillors opposed the change, calling the referendum a waste of money due to the government's intention to scrap city mayors under upcoming legislation. If approved, the first mayoral election would be postponed until May 2027 to allow the English Devolution Bill to be passed, as the government plans to transfer powers over transport, housing, skills, and local infrastructure to local areas. Despite the debate, current law prevents cancellation of the referendum once called, and the result was awaited in the early hours following the count at the Life Centre. The outcome will determine whether Plymouth shifts governance to a directly elected mayor, a model the government aims to phase out for new cities, favoring mayors for larger strategic authorities like the proposed Devon-wide mayor.