Give our cities the attention needed by introducing directly elected mayors

Elected mayors in England have managed to bring much needed attention and government cash to their cities.

Now, the Manchester mayor Andy Burnham says Scottish cities could also benefit from having directly-elected champions. He has a point, as Glasgow in particular looks like a city in need of attention.

Many Scots take little interest in municipal politics unless an issue – such as the threatened closure of a community centre or school – directly affects them. This disillusionment is partly caused by how local authorities are currently organised.

Many feel remote and unreflective of the communities they serve. And barring some notable exceptions, many councillors are too often anonymous. It wasn’t always like this. Big cities like Glasgow and Edinburgh used to have leaders who enjoyed national profiles.

Pat Lally in Glasgow and Eric Milligan in Edinburgh are two obvious examples of Lord Provosts who really flew the flag for their home cities. But in the devolution era, councils have shrunk in status as the Scottish Parliament grew in confidence.

The creation of metro mayors in places like London and Manchester has been a big success. They’ve given cities high-profile figureheads to argue for their case at national level. Many are wondering why the likes of Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen shouldn’t have the same kind of representation.

Labour big-hitter Burnham certainly thinks so. Some in Holyrood might argue it would create an unneeded extra level of bureaucracy. But city mayors could help our big cities deal with the major challenges they face.

Peace at class

Moves to give head teachers new powers to ban mobile phones in the classroom are a good idea.

Teachers have been at their wits’ end trying to manage mobile use in class but now they finally have the chance to deal with the issue. Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth is right to highlight how lessons are being disrupted and cyberbullying is spreading thanks to mobile phone use.

The Daily Record’s Our Kids .. Our Future campaign has also been highlighting the growing trend of filming attacks and uploading the footage for internet “likes”. Restricting access to mobile phones on school grounds is a definite step in the right direction and will at least give victims some respite in the classroom.

After Covid and the disruption our young people have endured in recent years, a safe and peaceful school environment is the least they deserve.

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