ELECTED mayors have not provided the strong leadership for their communities that the Government wanted, a report by a political think-tank says today

The study concluded that many of the first group of mayors have become caught up in town hall politics rather than providing outward-looking leadership.

The report concluded: "Leaders with a strong power base did not necessarily behave like strong leaders."

The analysis, for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, did not identify which of the first nine elected mayors it was basing conclusions on.

There are elected mayors in Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and North Tyneside. Nineteen areas, including Durham, Sedgefield and Sunderland, rejected the idea in referendums.

Stuart Drummond, who campaigned as Hartlepool United's monkey mascot H'Angus in 2002, gained national headlines when he was elected mayor.

In Middlesbrough, "Robocop" Ray Mallon triumphed over Labour, while in North Tyneside, Conservative Chris Morgan was elected.

Professor Steve Leach, of De Montfort University's Department of Public Policy, said: "The Government continues to emphasise 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.

"The debate needs to look at what constitutes effective government leadership."

Earlier this year, Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott hinted he wanted to make it easier for more towns and cities to elect mayors.

He unveiled plans to drop the "cumbersome" rule that requires five per cent of local residents to petition for a mayoral referendum.