COUNCIL leader Joe Anderson last night demanded that the people of the city be given a vote before any elected mayor is introduced in Liverpool.

Cllr Anderson spoke as shock government plans to impose a powerful elected mayor on Liverpool – without a referendum – were condemned as an abuse of local opinion last night.

Cllr Anderson also warned an elected mayor could cause problems between Liverpool and its neighbouring authorities.

He said: “I’m also hearing those rumours and don’t agree with imposing a mayor.

"Any decision to have a mayor should be made by the people, and I’m fairly sure that the people would like a say in the matter.”

Cllr Anderson also warned that the mayor would be “divisive”, because he or she would run Liverpool alone – conflicting with the ever-closer working across the wider “city-region” of six local authorities.

Cllr Anderson was backed up by John Denham, Labour’s communities spokesman, who described the idea as an attempt to rip up the city’s existing power structure “over the heads of locally elected people”.