Campaign for elected mayor in Rotherham

Coun Tony Mannion resigned the Conservative whip earlier this year and has now ceased his links with the party altogether.

He says he is fed-up with party in-fighting - and now intends pushing for a local elected mayor instead of the current leader plus cabinet system operated by Rotherham Council.

Coun Mannion - who now sits as in Independent member for the Sitwell ward - says just five per cent of the population has to call for an election to be held on whether the town should have an elected mayor.

He claims so many people are fed-up with council policies the figure can be achieved - but admits any elected mayor could still turn out to be Labour.

"If it comes to an election it is obviously possible that the Mayor would still be Labour. But at least people would have had the chance to change the system and if that is their decision then so be it," said Coun Mannion.

"Labour has a stranglehold on Rotherham and it just not good for the town. It is virtually impossible to beat them at the ballot box because people are afraid of betraying their working class roots. The result is that they ride roughshod over people

"But there is a groundswell of opinion that the ruling party is simply toeing the government line and taking decisions that a lot of people are very unhappy with."

Coun Mannion urged anyone interested in helping launch the campaign to contact him on 07766 441754.

Labour councillors claim Coun Mannion no longer has a mandate to represent the Sitwell ward on the council and should resign.

Labour group secretary Reg Littleboy said: "Now that Coun Mannion has renounced his membership of the Conservative party and ceased to be a Conservative councillor, he should resign from the council and ask for a fresh mandate as an independent from the electorate of Sitwell ward."