RESIDENTS have been invited to  make the case for a directly-elected  mayor for the whole of Merseyside –  but given only seven weeks in which to  do it.

Ministers announced a surprise  rapid-fire consultation to decide which  powers a mayor should enjoy, effectively handing England's 12 largest cities a blank piece of paper.

The document was immediately  seen as the opportunity for Merseyside  to put forward a blueprint for a  city-region mayor – as proposed by  Lord Heseltine and former Tesco chief  Sir Terry Leahy.

Two weeks ago, David Cameron  agreed there were "strong arguments" in favour of a directly-elected  leader for a much wider area, rather  than simply Liverpool.

It would allow powers to be devolved  over economic development, transport,  culture, tourism, business support,  training and further education, Lord  Heseltine concluded.

Yesterday's document also appeared  to confirm that ministers are preparing to shelve the mayoral referendum  in Liverpool for 12 months – as  revealed by the Daily Post.

It says the consultation must end on  January 3 because of the need, early in  the New Year, to "specify which cities  will hold referendums in May, 2012".

Last night, the latest mayoral  rethink was welcomed by Cllr Richard  Kemp, deputy leader of the Lib-Dem  opposition in Liverpool City Council and a strong  supporter of a “Merseyside mayor”.