The only way Birmingham will get a directly elected mayor is by raising a 36,000-signature petition, the city council's ruling Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition decided last night.

Councillors rejected by 61 votes to 34 a Labour resolution to hold a binding referendum on the mayoral issue, coinciding with the 2008 council elections.

Instead, the coalition said it would consider the outcome of the petition currently being organised by the Birmingham Mail, as and when it is received, and then take appropriate action.

However, the coalition leadership pointedly rejected a second Labour resolution designed to bind the council to accepting the wishes of the people of Birmingham as expressed in the mayoral petition.

Labour leaders were quick to point out that, by rejecting the resolution, the coalition could be laying the ground to ignore the wishes of the people as expressed in a petition.

In a bad tempered debate at yesterday's full council meeting, council leader Mike Whitby said the Government had made it clear that significant public support would be needed for Birmingham to have a directly elected mayor.

"There is a mechanism to allow that to happen. The petition will trigger a referendum. We are democrats here," Coun Whitby (Con Harborne) said.

"I meet many thousands of people as council leader and I have yet to have anyone say to me that they are raging for an elected mayor," he added.

"It's my belief that we are running this city extremely well. It is not me as a despot."

Sir Albert Bore, leader of the Labour opposition, said it was right the people of Birmingham should be given an opportunity to vote in a referendum on whether or not the city should be led by a mayor.

The petition would enable "750,000 electors of this city to have their say", he continued.

Ian Ward, deputy Labour leader, accused Coun Whitby of "having no trust in a free press".

Coun Ward (Lab Shard End) added: "What Birmingham needs is a grown up discussion about the various advantages and disadvantages of the cabinet and leader system against the elected mayor system. We should have courage and believe that Birmingham people are intelligent enough to be trusted with making a decision to allow a referendum to be held."

Councillor John Hemming (Lib Dem South Yardley) accused Labour of attempting to gain power by the back door.

"Sir Albert can become mayor and not have to worry about what councillors think," he added.

Coun Hemming said it would be anti-democratic for the council to impose a referendum on the people of Birmingham if they did not want one. No one was standing in the way of the petition, which was a straight-forward mechanism for triggering a mayoral vote, he added.

* A form to sign the petition appears in the Birmingham Mail most days.

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