Electing a mayor for Bradford would be futile unless it includes the surrounding areas, experts say.

A new report by academics said there was “no point” in switching to a mayor unless they ran all of the economic area surrounding the city – an option not on the table on May 3.

Voters will go to the polls to decide whether or not they want an elected mayor to represent the city.

Ministers have already rejected the idea of a so-called “Metro Mayor” covering an area like the Leeds City Region.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Bradford Council, Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, said the feeling on the doorstep was that a mayor for Bradford alone would not work.

She said: “If you look at the current arrangement and the LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership), Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield are all working together on issues like transport and, although that is going on behind closed doors, how would it work to add a mayor into the mix who is arguing for transport money for Bradford?

“Mayors will cost huge amounts and there is no real understanding how they will work. We already have leaders of councils working together on regional policy.

“Mayors are David Cameron’s white elephant.

“We are against mayors but if Bradford votes in favour there will be a Lib Dem candidate and they will have a plan and manifesto for Bradford.”

The study, published yesterday by the independent Warwick Commission, based at the University of Warwick, points to examples from as far afield as the US and New Zealand.

It concludes: “There are good reasons to suggest that a political mandate needs to coincide with a viable economic footprint.

“In other words, there is no point in electing a mayor whose remit does not cover the necessarily boundary-spanning regions that could foster economic growth – the so-called Metro Mayor.”

The commission points to transport and economic development as key policy areas for mayors – policies that do not fit within “city council boundaries”.

Bradford Council and Labour group leader Ian Greenwood said: “I do not believe it is the model of governance which is important but more so the individual party holding office which is keen whether we have an elected mayor or not – and I believe we should not.

“If we are going to be economically successful we need to co-operate across districts. We are getting there in West Yorkshire and we are making plans.”

Councillor Glen Miller, the leader of Bradford Council’s Conservative group, said: “It is for the residents of the district to decide. The coalition Government has given them a choice in a referendum and I believe in democracy whether it is good or bad for the region. I would rather an elected person that could be got rid of through the ballot box than unelected quangos.”