Give us vote on a people's mayor

Thousands of people have told Bradford Council they want either a powerful mayor, similar to London's Ken Livingstone, leading a cabinet, or the option of a mayor working with a manager to run the district.

But the number of residents wanting to keep the existing system, with an executive chaired by the Council leader, stands at around 21,000.

About 42,000 people have responded to questionnaires sent out by the Council, as it prepares to adopt a new, permanent structure after 18 months with an interim model.

The authority sent out 350,000 survey forms and the response is believed to be the highest in the authority's history.

Today the People's Choice organisation, which is campaigning for residents to get the chance of voting for a directly elected mayor - who need not be a politician - was pressing the Council for a referendum.

Jim O'Neill, pictured left with Steve Barnbank, co-ordinator of People's Choice, said: "I am delighted that there is such enormous interest."

The Local Government Act required his group to get a petition signed by 17,000 people in order to warrant a referendum. But Mr O'Neill said: "This obviously far over-rides the petition."

The Council has been operating for 18 months on its existing model of an executive committee chaired by the leader taking key decisions.

Now local government expert Professor Gerry Stoker said he believed there was an overwhelming case for a referendum across the district.

He praised the Council for the method of its public consultation exercise and huge response. Professor Stoker, chairman of the Local Government Network, a national think-tank on council modernisation made up of experts, said he also believed a series of articles published in the Telegraph & Argus at the time of the consultation clearly explaining the three models had swelled the level of response

But the move for a mayoral referendum is expected to be strongly opposed by politicians, who want the existing system to remain and feel too much power would be held by one person if a 'people's mayor' was appointed.

Today council leader Councillor Margaret Eaton said the full response and figures were still being evaluated and calculated and a report would go to the executive committee this month.

But she said an overwhelming 48 per cent of people had voted for the executive option, followed by 35 per cent for a mayor with executive and around 18 per cent for mayor with manager.

She said the consultation had clearly put three main options and people had shown by a large majority which they preferred.

"You can't have a public consultation exercise on three models then lump two together because you haven't got what you want."

And Labour group leader, Councillor Ian Greenwood, said the Government could impose its will on the people of Bradford.

"The danger of this result is that the Government may try to impose something on us. People have shown that they want the existing system and I think it should stay. The mayoral systems have never been evaluated and that's a problem."

Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the Liberal Democrat group said it was clear that the existing system was the preferred choice and she was not surprised.

But Professor Stokersaid: "The response is great and clearly there is an enormous amount of interest in the Council in Bradford.

"With so much interest in the models involving mayors, there is an overwhelming case for a referendum."

The final model must be agreed by next month but it has to be ratified by the Government. The authority has to prove it has taken the views of the public into account in its decision.

Electors in Berwick-Upon-Tweed will vote in a mayoral referendum on Thursday and others will follow in Gloucester and Cheltenham later this month. Residents in Kirklees will also be the first in West Yorkshire to vote on the system.