LIVERPOOL council last night voted in favour of an elected mayor for the city.

The change was voted through after a meeting of the full  council last night, where the ruling  Labour administration defeated  Liberal Democrat proposals to  obstruct the plan and voted in  favour of the major change. Click here to revisit our live blog from the night.

But while the Labour group  argued the changes would  unlock more than £130m of  spending power offered up by  the government in return for  adopting a mayoral system, the  Lib Dems argued making the  change without giving the  public a say through a  referendum suggested Labour  was “scared” of “the will of the  people”.

Lib Dem  deputy leader  Cllr Richard  Kemp argued   the changes  proposed by  the Labour  administration  were  undemocratic.

But Labour  leader Cllr Joe  Anderson  accused the Lib  Dems of  “breath-taking  arrogance” in  claiming they  were concerned  about democracy, adding: “This  is also  breath-taking ignorance.

“Cllr Kemp actually said he  was very concerned about  democracy but I’m sure, and I’m  sure  everyone  else is  sure,  that his  party is  in a  coalition government that was  not democratically decided on,  yet here we have him lecturing  about democracy.”

Cllr Kemp questioned what  Labour was so afraid of, adding:  “I don’t believe a major  constitutional change should be  decided by a caucus of the  Labour Party or this council  chamber, it should be decided by  the people of Liverpool.”

After the vote, which saw 63 in  favour, three opposed and 12  abstaining, government Cities  Minister Greg Clark said: “This  is an historic opportunity for  Liverpool to build a prosperous  future and achieve its full  potential. Liverpool is showing  the way forward.”

Cllr Anderson will now seek  the Labour Party nomination to  run in the May 3 election.

The only candidates  confirmed are  celebrity  Liverpool hairdresser Herbert  Howe and pro-elected mayor  campaigner Liam Fogarty.