Mayor with more power for Sutton?

The authority will have to choose between having a directly elected mayor, or a leader with more power, after the elections in May next year.

A directly elected mayoral system will see executive powers and control over cabinet, including the power to appoint members, given to one person.

The “new style” leader and cabinet system is closer to the current system in the borough, but further strengthens the power of the council leader.

Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair envisaged the system as galvanising towns and providing clear leadership to get the job done.

But Lib Dem council deputy leader councillor Ruth Dombey, who prefers the current leader and cabinet model with a ceremonial mayor, said a directly elected mayor would have too much power.

She said: “It is not an option to keep the status quo, but we have a system here that works.

“The issue is how we run the council, not how it is lead; what we want to do is involve more people in decision making, not concentrate power on one person.

“This country also has a parliamentary system, not a presidential one. If we make changes here then it could lead to a change in the whole system.

“In my experience I don’t think people will have much of a view on this, but if they do I am happy to talk about it and have a good debate.”

However, Independent Coun David Theobald said: “An elected mayor could be more accountable to the voters.

“Democracy works best when there is a rigorous opposition; an elected mayor could help to do that as the Lib Dem council have been in power since 1986.

“However, I think the current Conservatives have been doing a good job at opposition at that of late.

“Elections could also capture people’s imaginations, but only if the mayor had any real powers.

"At the moment they just eat pork pies and cut ribbons at fetes.”

There are 13 elected mayors in the country.

An elected mayor serves a four year fixed term, a leader would be appointed by the full council.

Councillors have been told to choose by full council meeting on December 31 which option to adopt.

At a council meeting on Monday night councillors agreed to begin public consultation.

Mavericks garner support from the voters

Stuart Drummond, aka H’Angus the Monkey, became mayor of Hartlepool in 2002 after standing in his monkey mascot costume as a publicity stunt for the town’s football club.

His vote-winning slogan was “free bananas for schoolchildren”.

Few thought the former call centre worker would survive a month, but this June he was re-elected for an historic third term.

Former police chief Ray Mallon, dubbed “Robocop” for his tough approach to crime, won a second term as mayor of Middlesbrough in May 2007.

Mr Mallon, who was first elected mayor of the northeast city in a landslide victory in 2002, campaigned on an anti-crime ticket.

Stoke-on-Trent mayor Mark Meredith, who was elected in May 2005, ended this summer after the people of Stoke voted to end the system.

In a referendum on the system of governance in the city in October 2008, the majority chose to replace the elected mayor with a leader and cabinet.

It was the first time in Britain that voters decided to scrap the post of elected mayor.

Since being elected in June, the mayor of Doncaster, Peter Davies, has slashed his salary by £43,000 from £73,000 to £30,000.

He plans to drastically cut the number of councillors in his town from 63 to 21, which will cut another £800,000 from the annual budget.

He said: “If 100 senators can run the United States of America, I can’t see how 63 councillors are needed to run Doncaster.”