Give cities elected mayors, PM told

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Elected mayors with extra powers could help defuse the "English question" which has come to the fore since the creation of devolved assemblies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, said the New Local Government Network and the Institute for Public Policy Research.

A poll carried out for the thinktanks found that 38% of people support the idea of a directly elected mayor for their own council, against 29% who oppose it. Support was stronger - 40%-16% - when asked whether major cities should have elected mayors.

Writing in a pamphlet entitled Directly Elected, Direct Results, NLGN director Chris Leslie and Guy Lodge of the IPPR argued: "By presenting mayors as a decentralising measure, Gordon Brown would finally have a substantive policy response to the English Question, which has arisen as a result of asymmetric devolution to Scotland and Wales.

"Mayors might not answer the West Lothian Question - a reference to the ability of Scottish MPs to vote on English matters - but by enabling England to be administered in a far less centralised fashion they would significantly improve the way England is governed, something which is likely to be of greater concern to the public."

There are currently 13 elected mayors in the UK, including the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Also writing in the pamphlet, Communities Secretary Hazel Blears said she had been "personally impressed" with local mayors, who offer "a form of leadership that is clear accountable and visible... (and) can balance competing priorities and take tough decisions in the community's wider interests".

But Liberal Democrat local government spokeswoman Julia Goldsworthy said: "Elected mayors could help to increase engagement with local democracy but the underlying problem is the Government's unwillingness to let go of power.

"A mayor must not become a bargaining chip in the fight for devolution to local communities. Councils could be bullied into accepting a mayor in return for small concessions on health and police powers."