Llais y Cardi members announce petition details What powers would the mayor have?

If a mayor is eventually elected, he or she would be the most influential person on the council - a very different role to the more ceremonial post undertaken by other mayors in Wales.

On Tuesday, Ceredigion Council were presented with a petition signed by 8,474 residents who backed the proposal for a directly-elected mayor.

The campaign for change in Ceredigion began in protest against plans for 6,500 new homes in the area.

The campaigners needed to get at least 10% of the electorate to sign the petition, and it seems that they reached this figure comfortably.

The council now has until early December to check that enough of the names are on the electoral register for Ceredigion.

If the names are verified, the council will be legally bound to hold a referendum on the issue - which is likely to be in March 2004.

Today we have started the process to give the people of Ceredigion the democracy they deserve Llais Y Cardi chairman, Emyr Hywel

The move could see the people of Ceredigion become the first in Wales to be governed locally by a London-style mayor instead of a cabinet with a leader.

Action group Llais y Cardi - which means the Voice of the people of Ceredigion - hopes a directly-elected mayor would scrap the current council's controversial plan to build the thousands of new homes in the county by 2015.

"Today we have started the process to give the people of Ceredigion the democracy they deserve," said Llais Y Cardi chairman, Emyr Hywel.

Around the UK, other mayors include Ken Livingstone in London, tough-talking former police chief Ray Mallon in Middlesbrough, and ex-football mascot Stuart Drummond in Hartlepool.

Mr Hywel said thousands of objections were sent to the council opposing the major house building programme, but claimed they were being ignored.

Election costs

Llais y Cardi has been formed by Welsh language pressure group, Cymuned, and local pressure group 100 Ceredigion.

The Local Government Act 2000 allows electors to petition for a referendum on a directly elected mayor.

Any mayoral election - likely to cost around �86,000 - would be held after the local government elections, due in May or June.