Elected mayors should receive greater powers, enabling them to take difficult decisions which support economic growth, a new joint report by think tanks, the Institute for Government (IfG) and Centre for Cities, suggests.

Entitled Big shot or long shot? the report calls for the Localism Bill to allow cities to choose the appropriate mayoral model for their local economy. Strong and effective mayors can, it states, also help cities navigate the complicated web of relationships with the new local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) and integrated transport authorities (ITAs), bodies which mayors should co-chair.