Commentary on provisions of Act Schedules Schedule 1: Mayors for combined authority areas: further provision about elections
Schedule 1 inserts Schedule 5B into the 2009 Act to make provisions about the elections of mayors of combined authority areas. The Schedule provides a default term of office of four years for an elected mayor, and the default dates on which elections for the return of a mayor will take place. It enables the Secretary of State, or the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster to make further provision on the timing of elections, for example the date on which an election is to be held and the length of a mayor's term.
	It details that the voting system for an elected mayor will be by simple majority unless there are three or more candidates, in which case it will be by supplementary vote. In the supplementary vote system, electors give a first and second preference so that if no candidate has a majority of first preference votes, the second preference votes will be taken into account. The Schedule sets out that those entitled to vote are those that would be entitled to vote at local government elections.
	The Schedule provides that an elected mayor for the area of a combined authority cannot also be a councillor and sets out the qualification and disqualification criteria for people to be able to stand for election or hold the office of elected mayor of the area of a combined authority.
	The Schedule also provides that the Secretary of State, or the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, after consulting the Electoral Commission, may make provision about the conduct and the questioning of the elections for elected combined authority mayors.