TAXPAYERS in the new Cheshire West and Chester council will continue to fund £307,310 for mayors holding titles in areas which will no longer exist.
The executive has moved to retain the mayors of both Vale Royal and Ellesmere Port and Neston as well as the Lord Mayor of Chester when Cheshire West and Chester gains borough status.
This is despite the new authority aiming to make life simpler and cheaper – saving more than £16m a year – for Council Tax-payers.
Vale Royal Borough Council shadow leader Cllr Brian Lloyd described the leaders as “mayors of nowhere”.
He said: “It’s mayordom gone mad. It’s an extra expense and it’s more confusion. People will be thinking ‘who shall I invite to my function? There’s too many mayors!’
“There are more important things in this new authority than who will be going around in a red coat and a hat. It’s ridiculous. We have already got three mayors in Vale Royal Borough Council [Northwich, Winsford and Frodsham] and a mayor of Vale Royal Borough Council. It is crazy.”
Cllr Mike Jones, leader of the new council, said: “We haven’t had the time to look at how it’s going to work. At the moment there appears to be quite a lot of overlap.
“We had to apply to the government by July 17 otherwise we would lose all of them. ”
