GOVERNMENT plans to see local authorities led by strong and outward- looking elected mayors or leaders have worked "only sporadically and partially", says a study.
In the report for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation,
academics at De Montfort and Warwick universities looked at the impact of the Local Government Act 2000.
The report was launched at the Local Government Association conference in Harrogate.
Among those elected under the new rules were Mayor of Middlesbrough Ray Mallon, an ex-police officer dubbed "Robocop" for his zero-tolerance approach to crime.
Another elected mayor was H'Angus the Monkey of Hartlepool, mascot of the town's football team.
Otherwise known as Stuart Drummond his slogan was "free bananas for schoolchildren".
Professor Steve Leach, of De Montfort University, said: "The Government continues to emph- asise the merits of `strong' leadership in local government. Our research shows that this vision is too narrow and inappropriate to the overall aim of improving leadership."
