THE possibility of Liverpool having an elected Mayor takes a significant step closer to becoming a reality this week, as the Government unveils plans to move the petition process into the digital age.

The campaign for a Mayor for Liverpool needs the support of 5% of the city’s electorate, but has struggled to gain the 17,100 signatures it needs on a paper petition in order to force a referendum on the issue.

In nearly two years, it has collected only around 11,000 signatures, and given that signatures remain valid for only 12 months, edging towards the required number is a bit of a Snakes and Ladders game.

However, the latest initiative to be unveiled by Communities Secretary Hazel Blears tomorrow must feel like the rolling of a double six to campaign chairman Liam Fogarty and his team.

The plan in the "Community Empowerment" White Paper is to launch an online process for signing the petitions, which should make the process of hitting the target figure within a 12-month time-frame much more attainable.

There are currently 13 elected Mayors in the UK, including Boris Johnson in London, and the online petition move is a clear demonstration that the Government would like to see more of them.

We still have a considerable journey ahead of us before we get to the point where an elected Mayor can be installed in Liverpool.

Even if the required signatures can be collated very quickly online once the White Paper becomes law, there would then have to be a three-month referendum campaign leading up to the vote itself.

Then, if the public is in favour of the change, there would have to be yet another high-profile campaign leading up to the Mayoral election itself.

It is a long, and rather expensive, road. Whether it is one that the traditionally ballot-shy voters of Liverpool have the appetite for travelling down remains to be seen.