Mayor of Liverpool

The mayor of Liverpool was the executive mayor of the city of Liverpool in England. The office was abolished in 2023 and its functions were replaced with the leader of Liverpool City Council. The mayor of Liverpool was previously branded 'the most powerful politician in England outside the capital', until metro-mayors were elected from 2016, such as the similarly named but separate mayor of the Liverpool City Region. During 2012, Liverpool City Council decided at a council meeting to adopt the elected mayor executive arrangements, bypassing the typical practice of a local referendum as was planned that year in other cities. On 5 May 2012, former leader of Liverpool City Council Joe Anderson became Liverpool's first elected mayor. In December 2020, Joe Anderson was arrested on suspicion of bribery and witness intimidation, he said he would not seek re-election. A referendum in Liverpool was due to be held in 2023 on the continuation of the mayoralty, but the city council voted to abolish the position from the May 2023 elections following public consultation. Role and powers of the mayor The mayor is elected by the residents of Liverpool for a four-year period and is responsible for executive functions of Liverpool City Council and for the day-to-day running of the organisation. They are charged with leading the city, building investor confidence, and directing new resources to economic priorities. The mayor does not have responsibility for setting the Council budget or formulating policy framework plans as this remains with the city council. The mayor must appoint a cabinet of two or more councillors (also called the "Executive") who do not have to be from the same political party. The mayor decides on the size of the cabinet and to what extent executive functions may be delegated. The mayor also benefits from so called 'soft powers' conferred on them by being directly elected, which enables them to influence, persuade and co-ordinate on a wider scale.