With the sweeping cuts that are tearing vital services to shreds, it concerns me that the borough is even considering the extra expense of an elected Mayor for Hyndburn.

The current system runs under a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ whereby the mayorality switches between political parties each year but 2010 has seen a disgraceful display of backdoor politics from the Conservatives in order to retain a majority in the council chamber and further politicising of the mayoral position is not only disrespectful but risks bringing the borough into disrepute.

The present system of choosing the new mayor has been shown to be open to the possibility of abuse but reforming what we currently have is infinitely preferable to another set of elections, which are a costly business for everyone.

Literature has to be printed for the whole borough by each party and countless man hours are spent canvassing which have to be slotted in around other appointments.

There is also the further consideration of the extra staff that would be employed, plus a salary increase above the £8,000 allowance available already to the mayor, ultimately making any elected first citizen a very expensive luxury with no real increased benefits to the borough.

The proposals being put forward to have an elected mayor would effectively remove the element of respect and turn it into a purely political appointment, one with even more power than the leader of the council has already and someone who could not possibly be removed by councillors.

With the fragile majority that Peter Britcliffe currently commands facing the possibility of being voted out in next May’s local elections, I wonder who he thinks would make a good Mayor of Hyndburn for the next four years?

Coun Ken Moss, Rishton Ward