Insider Media Limited

A referendum should be held before Leicester introduces a directly elected mayor. That's the view of Max Boden, policy manager of the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce, which recently held an event exploring the possibility.

His comments come as independent candidate and chartered surveyor Rick Moore told the local press he wants to become the city's first elected mayor. Moore is the president-elect of the Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce.

Boden said the chamber wants to remain "politically neutral" on the issue but can see the benefits of what an elected mayor would bring.

He said: "We know it's a dominant model elsewhere in Europe and the USA. There is an argument that an elected mayor can function as a more business-like executive so the culture is one that can appeal to the business community."

Boden spoke of how a mayoral personality can transcend party politics and be effective in promoting a city.

But he said it should be ultimately up to the people to decide to have one, and he "wouldn't want to see people deprived of a referendum".

He added: "It's feasible to do it at the start of the year."

Leicester City Council has called for a meeting on Friday to discuss the proposal of introducing an elected mayor to the city. If councillors agree to the motion - the next stage in the process - the authority will launch almost three weeks of public consultation.

If all proposals are passed, the election of the mayor would take place on Thursday 5 May alongside the city council elections.

The meeting has been arranged for Friday (19 November), beginning at 5pm. It will be broadcast over the internet so that the public can witness the discussion.

The results of that consultation would then be fed back to a second council meeting in December for further discussion.

Councillors are then likely to make a final decision at a meeting on 22 December.