Protesters hope a new mayor would cut housing plans

Protest group Llais y Cardi says it has collected half the 5,000 names its needs to force a referendum on whether Ceredigion Council is run by a mayor voted by electors, instead of a council leader selected by councillors.

The local authority has shown it is taking the campaign seriously by announcing that a referendum and election would cost �86,000.

Llais y Cardi was formed in the wake of Ceredigion council's plans for 6,500 houses in the county in the 15 years up to 2015.

A mayoral system will enable everyone in Ceredigion to have a vote on who is the leader of the council Emyr Hywel, Llais y Cardi

Llais y Cardi - which includes members of Welsh language pressure group Cymuned and another group, 100 Ceredigion - hopes that a mayor would scrap the plan.

"People believe there is no democracy in Ceredigion at the moment," said Emyr Hywel, chairman of Llais y Cardi.

He said 11,000 objections were sent to the council oppose the development plan, but every week different applications to build large housing estates were discussed.

Dai Lloyd Evans doesn't know if he would stand as mayor

'Lost faith'

"Because the opinions of thousands of people are being ignored, people have lost faith in the current democratic system.

"A mayoral system will enable everyone in Ceredigion to have a vote on who is the leader of the council."

A section of the 2000 Local Government Act allows electors to petition for a referendum on a directly-elected mayor.

A petition is valid if it is signed by 10 per cent of Ceredigion's electors, which means that Llais y Cardi has to collect at least 5,306 names, to be presented to the council by 31 October.

"We have collected about half the names we need so far and the response has been so good that I would say that 95 per cent of the people that have been approached have signed the petition," said Mr Hywel.

If 5,000 of them want the referendum then the rest of the taxpayers will have to pay for it Council leader Dai Lloyd Evans

Llais y Cardi has so far concentrated its campaign in villages in the south of the county but plans to step up its campaign as the deadline for handing it in looms.

A council spokesman said that if enough names were collected the referendum would probably be in March.

The mayoral election would then be held after the county council elections, due in May or June.

"If the people of Ceredigion want a referendum that is their right but the taxpayers will have to shoulder the cost," said council leader Dai Lloyd Evans.

"If 5,000 of them want the referendum then the rest of the taxpayers will have to pay for it."

Mr Lloyd Evans said he hadn't yet considered whether he would stand if a mayoral election was held.