# England and Wales mayoral referendums

As of October 2021, there have been 54 referendums on the question of changing executive arrangements to a model with a directly elected mayor. Of these, 17 have resulted in the establishment of a new mayoralty and 37 have been rejected by voters. Referendums are triggered by council resolution, local petition or central government intervention.

## Change to elected mayor?

"Yes" majority shown in green, "No" majority shown in red.
| Local authority | Date | Yes votes | Yes vote % | No votes | No vote % | Turnout % |
| Berwick-upon-Tweed | 7 June 2001 | 3,617 | 26 | 10,212 | 74 | 64 |
| Cheltenham | 28 June 2001 | 8,083 | 33 | 16,602 | 67 | 32 |
| Gloucester | 28 June 2001 | 7,731 | 32 | 16,317 | 68 | 31 |
| Watford | 12 July 2001 | 7,636 | 52 | 7,140 | 48 | 25 |
| Doncaster | 20 September 2001 | 35,453 | 65 | 19,398 | 35 | 25 |
| Kirklees | 4 October 2001 | 10,169 | 27 | 27,977 | 73 | 13 |
| Sunderland | 11 October 2001 | 9,375 | 43 | 12,209 | 57 | 10 |
| Brighton & Hove | 18 October 2001 | 22,724 | 38 | 37,214 | 62 | 32 |
| Hartlepool | 18 October 2001 | 10,667 | 51 | 10,294 | 49 | 34 |
| Lewisham | 18 October 2001 | 16,822 | 51 | 15,914 | 49 | 18 |
| Middlesbrough | 18 October 2001 | 29,067 | 84 | 5,422 | 16 | 34 |
| North Tyneside | 18 October 2001 | 30,262 | 58 | 22,296 | 42 | 36 |
| Sedgefield | 18 October 2001 | 10,628 | 47 | 11,869 | 53 | 33 |
| Redditch | 8 November 2001 | 7,250 | 44 | 9,198 | 56 | 28 |
| Durham | 20 November 2001 | 8,327 | 41 | 11,974 | 59 | 29 |
| Harrow | 6 December 2001 | 17,502 | 43 | 23,554 | 57 | 26 |
| Plymouth | 24 January 2002 | 29,559 | 41 | 42,811 | 59 | 40 |
| Harlow | 24 January 2002 | 5,296 | 25 | 15,490 | 75 | 25 |
| Newham | 31 January 2002 | 27,263 | 68 | 12,687 | 32 | 26 |
| Southwark | 31 January 2002 | 6,054 | 31 | 13,217 | 69 | 11 |
| West Devon | 31 January 2002 | 3,555 | 23 | 12,190 | 77 | 42 |
| Shepway | 31 January 2002 | 11,357 | 44 | 14,438 | 56 | 36 |
| Bedford | 21 February 2002 | 11,316 | 67 | 5,537 | 33 | 16 |
| Hackney | 2 May 2002 | 24,697 | 59 | 10,547 | 41 | 32 |
| Mansfield | 2 May 2002 | 8,973 | 55 | 7,350 | 45 | 21 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme | 2 May 2002 | 12,912 | 44 | 16,468 | 56 | 31.5 |
| Oxford | 2 May 2002 | 14,692 | 44 | 18,686 | 56 | 34 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 2 May 2002 | 28,601 | 58 | 20,578 | 42 | 27 |
| Corby | 1 October 2002 | 5,351 | 46 | 6,239 | 54 | 31 |
| Ealing | 12 December 2002 | 9,454 | 45 | 11,655 | 55 | 10 |
| Ceredigion | 20 May 2004 | 5,308 | 27 | 14,013 | 73 | 36 |
| Isle of Wight | 5 May 2005 | 28,786 | 43.7 | 37,097 | 56.3 | 60.4 |
| Fenland | 14 July 2005 | 5,509 | 24.2 | 17,296 | 75.8 | 33.6 |
| Torbay | 14 July 2005 | 18,074 | 55.2 | 14,682 | 44.8 | 32.1 |
| Crewe and Nantwich | 4 May 2006 | 11,808 | 38.2 | 18,768 | 60.8 | 35.3 |
| Darlington | 27 September 2007 | 7,981 | 41.6 | 11,226 | 58.4 | 24.6 |
| Bury | 3 July 2008 | 10,338 | 40.1 | 15,425 | 59.9 | 18.3 |
| Tower Hamlets | 6 May 2010 | 60,758 | 60.3 | 39,857 | 39.7 | 62.1 |
| Great Yarmouth | 5 May 2011 | 10,051 | 39.2 | 15,595 | 60.8 | 36 |
| Salford | 26 January 2012 | 17,344 | 56.0 | 13,653 | 44.0 | 18.1 |
| Birmingham | 3 May 2012 | 88,085 | 42.2 | 120,611 | 57.8 | 28.35 |
| Bradford | 3 May 2012 | 53,949 | 44.9 | 66,283 | 55.1 | 35 |
| Bristol | 3 May 2012 | 41,032 | 53 | 35,880 | 47 | 24 |
| Coventry | 3 May 2012 | 22,619 | 36.4 | 39,483 | 63.6 | 26.6 |
| Leeds | 3 May 2012 | 62,440 | 36.7 | 107,910 | 63.3 | 31 |
| Manchester | 3 May 2012 | 42,677 | 46.8 | 48,593 | 53.2 | 25.3 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 3 May 2012 | 24,630 | 38.1 | 40,089 | 61.9 | |
| Nottingham | 3 May 2012 | 20,943 | 42.5 | 28,320 | 57.5 | 23.9 |
| Sheffield | 3 May 2012 | 44,571 | 35.0 | 82,890 | 65.0 | |
| Wakefield | 3 May 2012 | 27,610 | 37.8 | 45,357 | 62.2 | |
| Copeland | 22 May 2014 | 12,671 | 69.8 | 5,489 | 30.2 | 33.9 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 10 March 2016 | 8,054 | 20.8 | 30,557 | 79.1 | 28.9 |
| Guildford | 13 October 2016 | 4,948 | 19.3 | 20,369 | 80.6 | 24.9 |
| Croydon | 7 October 2021 | 47,165 | 80.0 | 11,519 | 19.5 | 21 |

## Referendums on removal of mayor

There have been nine referendums on the question of removing the post of elected mayor. Four mayoral posts have been disestablished following a vote and five retained.
"Retain" majority shown in green, "Remove" majority shown in red.
| Local authority | Date | Retain votes | Retain vote % | Remove votes | Remove vote % | Turnout % |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 23 October 2008 | 14,592 | 41 | 21,231 | 59 | 19.2 |
| Doncaster | 3 May 2012 | 42,196 | 61.7 | 25,879 | 37.8 | 30.7 |
| Hartlepool | 15 Nov 2012 | 5,177 | 41.3 | 7,366 | 58.7 | 18 |
| Middlesbrough | 26 September 2013 | 8,674 | 57.3 | 6,455 | 42.7 | 15 |
| North Tyneside | 5 May 2016 | 32,546 | 57.8 | 23,730 | 42.2 | 36.4 |
| Torbay | 5 May 2016 | 9,511 | 37.5 | 15,846 | 62.5 | 25.3 |
| Newham | 6 May 2021 | 45,960 | 55.8 | 36,424 | 44.2 | 37.68 |
| Tower Hamlets | 6 May 2021 | 63,029 | 77.8 | 17,951 | 22.2 | 41.79 |
| Bristol | 5 May 2022 | 38,439 | 41 | 56,113 | 59 | 28.6 |