CHALLENGE OF CREATING A NEW VISION FOR CITY

The Bishop of Leicester's First Person column appears in today's Leicester Mercury:

Challenge of creating a new vision for city

The Bishop of Leicester considers what the election of a mayor will bring to our community

By the time this article is published we shall know the results of Thursday's elections for Mayor of Leicester. Several months ago I wrote in this column that whoever is elected will need and deserve the prayerful support of the Christian communities in the city. I am sure we will all want to support the new mayor, not only with our prayers but with our active engagement to build a better city.

In a democracy it is all too easy both to withhold participation and at the same time to grumble. If we failed to cast a vote on Thursday we can hardly complain if the mayor does not meet our expectations. And if we did vote, whether or not our candidate was chosen, we surely have a responsibility now to work together so that the past animosities and competitiveness no longer stand in the way of building a new vision.

My hope is that people of faith will want to work with the new mayor's office more actively than ever. For the Christian community, this is a special responsibility because we believe that all earthly authority stands in the end under the authority of God.

This truth is acted out at the coronation of a new monarch when the Sword of State is placed on the altar of Westminster Abbey. It signifies that the Queen in Parliament and all who hold elected authority in this country stand under a higher authority. Even in a secular age this is crucial for our understanding of our national identity.

Those whom we have elected are given authority not to oppress but to serve. Not to disempower but to empower all the citizens to make their unique contribution to the common good.

I hope that our city council under its new leadership will not seek to take power into the hands of a small clique but rather to work with all people of goodwill to release all the energies, vision and creativity which are available in abundance in the communities of Leicester.

This may be a new opportunity for us all. I hope and pray that it will be and that the new mayor will rise to the challenge.

At the heart of this challenge will lie the creation of a vision in which we can all share. Surely a good city is one in which all can reap the benefits of increasing prosperity. One in which those who are better off are ready to bear the burdens for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

One in which the philanthropy and generosity of those who have the private means to contribute to the common good is welcomed. And one in which the city as a whole serves to feed the spirit and soul of its people as well as to expand the economy.