Councillor Dave Nellist turns down Lord Mayor role

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A VETERAN councillor has turned down the chance to be Lord Mayor of Coventry because the role is non-political.

Dave Nellist, the city's only Socialist councillor, said he wanted to focus on fighting the budget cuts being seen in the city and elsewhere.

The Lord Mayor in Coventry is a ceremonial role which entails campaigning on issues and for charities, as well as overseeing council meetings and events.

It was supposed to be Coun Nellist's turn for the role of Deputy Lord Mayor in May before getting the top job a year later.

And in a letter to council leader John Mutton, he admitted he was tempted by the role, which colleagues had said his radical approach would suit.

Coun Nellist claimed he would have used the role's hospitality budget to feed the homeless but said the need to be a voice against cuts meant he had to turn the offer down.

He said: "We urgently need to review the council's role and responsibility in the matter of dealing with growing austerity and the attack our city is under, not leave it to the generosity of individuals or of faith organisations.

"So despite the attractions of getting even closer to the people of the city in which I have made my home for the last 40 years, the overriding need to continue to be an uncensored voice against cuts and austerity is the reason that I have decided to decline your offer."