Have elected mayorships got a track record of success in the UK? If so then why not? However I am suspicious they're just a gimmick, the last thing we need is a populist ego maniac who creates headlines and nothing else. I'm thinking of Doncaster as an example not to follow.

I actually think some headlines would be a start. People down here are appalled by the story of the Westfield crater, but they wouldn't know if I hadn't told them. I'd like to see a fresh face with some ideas on how we improve and no interest in covering up previous council blunders.

I'm all for it too, however I don't think the general population is, anything remotely political in this country ends up boiling down to the usual parties, and it's the mindset of those who bother to go out and vote too.

A few years ago I thought the way that Bradford was being run into the ground would inspire some kind of backlash at local level and some independents to stand up and try and get involved in local government but apathy is the only winner in this city.

When I moved to Bradford in the early 90s there was an active student union, active environmental pressure groups & a great feel around the festival & Mela. All that has gone. The rise in apathy is not confined to Bradford, but other cities do have other things to feel good about.

I lived for 9 years in Bradford and currently reside in Doncaster and i can tell i would much rather be in Donny than Bradford! The council tax is cheaper, it's cleaner and the bins are collected regularly. Our mayor is doing a cracking job in trying to stamp out wastefulness and the scourge of political correctness.

Please give some examples.

I gather he offsets the balance with political ineptness.

Withdrawing council backing for so called 'gay pride' events.

Shouldn't a council support oppressed groups & an event that brings in thousands of visitors & spenders to the town? How much did Phil's dad save from this scourge?

Quote ="hi de hi"Withdrawing council backing for so called 'gay pride' events.'" Yeah, that was a good one. www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2009/06/m ... oby_1.html

Quote ="hi de hi"Withdrawing council backing for so called 'gay pride' events.'" Yeah, that was a good one. www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ni/2009/06/m ... oby_1.html

The function of the council is to provide essential civic services ie street lighting, rubbish collection etc at a minimum possible cost to council tax payers, not to provide jobs for the boys ie the previous regimes of corrupt labour councillers, many of whom have been prosecuted for their crimes in Doncaster. Peter Davis has the support of large numbers of the local public, mainly of the tax paying variety. The people of Bradford could do far worse than elect a person with similar views and policies.

I think they could do better than him too. The Donny "Gay Pride Event" was actually proved to be a profitable exercise for the council and city. Coming out (no pun intended!) against it was just playing to people's prejudices to get elected.

There's a fair bit of racial prejudice in Bradford and I wouldn't like to see someone come in from outside, put his foot in his mouth, and make things worse just as a way of getting a highly paid mayorship.

Slightly off-topic, but has anyone heard about [url=http://www.positivebradford.co.uk/positive-bradford-day/Positive Bradford Day[/url? As it exists (and is happening the day after tomorrow), I might have expected to read about it in the T&A or have it promoted in some way by the Council. Tellingly, however, I only spotted it through [url=http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/features/six_reasons_why_city_can_be_positive_of_great_days_to_come_1_3809303an article in the Yorkshire Post[/url.

Phil's bigoted dad also stopped Black History Month on the basis we don't have White History Months. He is so blind he cannot see the whole country teaches white history on a daily basis. He supports closing public libraries yet admits to never having borrowed a book from a public library.

As with Thatcher & hi de hi, he no doubt sees everything in cost terms, not value. It's easy to go in somewhere & cut costs. I've seen it numerous times in large scale businesses. All it does is cut quality. Support services have been cut to the bone for years. After the torture of 2 children from a care home by 2 others the audit commission stated "Those leading the council - the mayor and cabinet, some councillors and some officers - do not collectively have the capacity or capability to make the necessary improvements in governance.” The council has a responsibility for all its citizens, especially the most vulnerable, be they elderly, children, disabled, black, gay or whatever. Phil's dad obviously feels uncomfortable with gay people expressing their sexuality & black people celebrating their culture, in the typical repressed middle-aged white male manner of days of old.

Still, as he has openly praised some elements of the Taliban, his tenure in Bradford should be good for the tabloids.

Despite Phil's dad I still love Donny & it is a much nicer place in the centre than Bradford.

I think the expression was that those people knew the price of everything and the value of nothing, TT. Sad to say there are still plenty like that around.

In terms of elected 'mayors', to me it's the same as the idea of elected regional governments; just another expensive tier of politicians, spouting yet more hot air, adding extra cost but (most probably) little extra value. We already have a council in Bradford and a government in Whitehall, we pay enough for that lot, for mine.

I've seen a couple of articles about it on the T&A website. Disappointed that it takes place during the week during the school term, but never mind! May have a look tomorrow if it hasn't all being packed away by the time I'm home from work.

Some bad blood there I suspect. One or two people behind Positive Bradford are also involved in the campaign to save the Odeon. I think the T&A would rather use its entire print run to burn down the Odeon rather than give them some column inches.

Would the death of the T&A be good for Bradford, given its collusion with the council?

It just needs a new editor IMO.

I'm not sure. They still provide a service of some kind, but the very last thing they do is speak truth to power, and you could argue that is the main beneficial side effect of a free press. I don't have much experience of other local newspapers so I can't say how much similar sized newspapers repeatedly fail the communities they serve in the same way the T&A does.

I'm almost tempted to argue that nobody pays for journalism anymore, and that a small paper like the T&A doesn't have much choice but to parrot council press releases on the major issues affecting the city. I'm not going to argue that though because they've been pulling this nonsense since at least the 80s, if not earlier, and people did pay for journalism then.

If the council has a hairbrained scheme to get people to come from Japan and look at things vaguely Bronte related so they can put the occasional 50p the way of some sweet shop in Haworth then the T&A will spend column inches on it. If there are no plans at all for attracting investment into the city despite hoards of missed opportunities for doing so, stupid giveaway land deals concerning prime real estate being signed or obvious and blatant incompetence / corruption then they are nowhere to be seen. Worse, if they are seen at all they are telling us not to worry, there really is a plan, and everything will turn out alright in the end. Whether they do this for "never talk Bradford down" reasons or whether they do it because they themselves are some combination of incompetent and corrupt I do not know. I know what I think, but I don't know the facts.

I think the days of the honourable local investigative newspapers are long gone. My experience is that they tend to get consumed by big city neighbours (Doncaster) & their reporting reflects the big city priorities or become part of a bigger media empire (Kendal, T&A?) so their reporting is influenced by the political leanings of the group.

There's not much Bradford Positivity on here today. It's really not what Councillor Greenwood was looking for...

You're correct imo. The T&A was tabloidised (if there is such a word!) long before it changed shape, and since it became part of a mega media group it seems to be run with far fewer reporters than previously. It's hardly surprising there is little investigatory stuff and a plethora of council press handouts. Pretty poor.

Things could always get worserer: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/aro ... _1_3818040

Things could always get worserer: www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/aro ... _1_3818040