Committees, for all their faults, meant council decisions were debated and made in public.

Putting power into the hands of one person who then picks a cabinet of from two to nine people is a recipe for secrecy.

In the words of Professor John Stewart, "the hope for an effective city leader is balanced by the reality that reliance on a single individual may result in incompetent leadership".

We could expect a system emphasising personalities, not policies.

Turn-out at elections in the US, where there are directly elected mayors, is lower than in this country.

If we go down the American route, we can expect greater cynicism and distrust of politicians.

We are holding a cross-party public meeting at 7.30pm on Wednesday, February 28, in the Brightelm Centre to discuss the mayoral option.

I hope as many people as possible are able to attend.

-Coun Francis Tonks, Campaign for Open Local Government