Ten years ago the three leaders of Bradford Council’s main political groups had a private meeting in London with the Labour Government’s Local Government Minister Nick Raynsford.

The Council’s Conservative leader Margaret Eaton, Labour’s leader Ian Greenwood and Liberal Democrat leader Jeanette Sunderland reportedly put their case against Bradford having an Elected mayor.

With Bradford trying to pick itself up after the 2001 riot, the worst on mainland Britain for 20 years, they said the time was not right to make the city a “guinea pig” for an experiment in local government.

This was in response to Local Government and Regions Secretary of State Stephen Byers saying in November 2001 that he was “minded” to order a district-wide referendum on the subject in Bradford.

His argument, that local people’s views had not been fully taken into account, followed a consultation exercise which had resulted in 19,000 voting in favour of trying a form of elected mayor and 18,000 voting to stick with the existing system of cabinet government.

The Council was successful in side-lining the issue, partly because there was a change of heart in Government circles about elected mayors.

Labour hopes took a knock in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool with the election of two non-party outsiders, respectively Stuart Drummond and former Middlesbrough police chief Ray Mallon.

Nevertheless, in February 2006, the Institute for Public Policy Research published a paper calling for elected mayors in Birmingham and Manchester. That October the Department of Communities and Local Government published its White Paper: Strong And Prosperous Communities.

The White Paper argued in favour of scrapping the idea of local referenda on the issue in favour of a council resolution following a public consultation exercise – echoing the one carried out by Bradford Council in 2001.

Colin Mellors, former professor of politics at Bradford University, said: “There have been 41 referenda over the past decade, of which 15 voted in favour of a mayor, including Salford. But in 2008, Stoke-on-Trent voted to get rid of their mayor, and in a few weeks’ time there will be a referendum in Doncaster about abolishing their mayor.

“Mayors can give clear leadership that helps to drive the local economy, and there is clearer accountability than in the present system where the leadership is indirectly elected – by fellow councillors rather than the public”

Elected mayors, unlike their civic counterparts who wear ceremonial robes and chains, have the power to determine policy across a wide range of matters, including the annual budget. They can also appoint a limited number of councillors to a cabinet and delegate power to them.

But councillors can amend or reject policy, providing they can rally support from two-thirds of members. In Bradford this would necessitate support from 60 of the 90 councillors.

Sceptics and those openly hostile say elected mayors diminish democracy, reducing politics to a beauty contest between celebrities and mavericks. Too much power in the hands of one individual would result in unaccountability over a period of four years, whereas at present group party leaders have to be re-elected by their colleagues annually.

Of the 22 people who have held mayoral office in England to date, seven have been, or still are, Independents; four Labour; three Conservatives; two Liberal Democrats; and one English Democrat (Peter Davies in Doncaster). Salford and Liverpool have yet to be decided.

As to the positives, the Institute for Government, an independent charity that works with all parties to improve government effectiveness, carried out an extensive survey of existing mayoralties and some conventionally-run local authorities.

It found that while introducing a mayor in no way cures pre-existing political dysfunctions – Doncaster and Stoke-on-Trent continue to struggle after adopting the mayoral system – independent city leaders new to politics such as Ray Mallon in Middlesbrough and Stuart Drummond in Hartlepool were able to create a bridge between local and national political leadership.

The Institute says elected mayors are not reliant on local councillors’ support and therefore spend less time on party politicking. This in turn creates a more decisive, long-term and outward-looking approach, more visibility and greater stability over a four-year period of office.

In the last 20 years, Bradford has suffered two bad riots and the failure or stalemate of big development projects. Currently, both its professional sports teams, Bradford City and Bradford Bulls, are struggling to survive.

What real difference could an elected mayor make?

  • Tomorrow: Should there be a regional mayor?