THE BOROUGH will NOT have a directly-elected mayor, councillors confirmed at a meeting last week.

Redbridge Council was required by law to decide whether to have a directly-elected mayor or to give more power to the leader by the end of the year.

A twelve-week public consultation garnered just 14 votes from residents, and at the full council meeting last Thursday councillors confirmed that the the current system will continue.

Had the public shown more support for directly electing a mayor to lead the council, Redbridge could have become one of only a handful of local authorities with such a system.

The most famous of which is Hartlepool Council, where former Hartlepool FC mascot Stuart Drummond was elected in 2002 – while dressed as his match-day alter-ego H'Angus the Monkey – after campaigning on a platform of free bananas in schools.

Mr Drummond was then re-elected under his real name and without a costume in 2005 and 2009.