Both sides in the fight over whether there should be a city mayor took heart from the result of a referendum in Birmingham announced today.

It showed 46.4 per cent of people in favour of a leader and cabinet, 40.2 per cent in favour of a directly-elected mayor and cabinet and 13.4 per cent in favour of a mayor with a council manager.

Although more people were in favour of the two mayoral options than against, the city council is likely to keep the present leader and cabinet system.

Most councillors favour it and it attracted the largest single vote in Britain's second biggest city.

The result means that only Watford has voted decisively for a new mayor out of the five polls so far in the UK.

Brighton and Hove will decide next month whether to vote for a directly-elected mayor.

There will be just one other option, an improved version of the former committee system.

Francis Tonks, who jointly chairs Allies for Democracy, formed to oppose the city mayor concept, said: "There was a strong campaign against having a directly-elected mayor in Birmingham and there is a strong campaign here.

"It shows the trend across the UK and should augur well for Brighton and Hove."

Lord Bassam of Brighton, speaking for the Yes for City Mayor campaign, said: "I welcome this vote.

"Britain's second city has shown that a clear majority of electors is in favour of the options for a directly-elected mayor.

"What happens now depends on whether the council majority goes for a leader and cabinet system.

"Here in Brighton and Hove there is a stark choice which was not available in Birmingham.

"It is a return to the old-style committee system with all the bureaucracy that entails."