Marcus Farmer, independent candidate for Greater Manchester mayor
An independent candidate for Greater Manchester mayor has called for a ‘seismic change’ in local politics – including merging all local authorities into a single regional council.
Marcus Farmer believes the current structure – in which city and borough councils are separate, but also work collectively through the combined authority – is ‘inefficient and very expensive’.
The businessman wants to see the number of councillors across the region halved to 300 and relocated to Manchester Town Hall once its £214m refurbishment is completed.
Mr Farmer, who ran for mayor in the 2017 election, believes the overhaul is the ‘most obvious change’ to make on behalf of taxpayers struggling with the impact of Covid-19.
Independent mayoral candidate wants Greater Manchester councils merged and a vote to end lockdown measures
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