GIVING voters the chance to choose their mayor could be the answer to election apathy for North-East councils, a Government study has revealed.

Although many of the region's councils have rejected the idea of US-style directly elected mayors, a poll of 10,000 people in ten large towns and cities, including Middlesbrough, has come down strongly in favour of the idea.

Prime Minister Tony Blair is in favour of the concept as a way of revitalising local government, even though it has been thrown out by his constituents in Sedgefield borough, County Durham.

The Sunderland electorate was so apathetic that only ten per cent bothered to vote on whether they should choose their own mayor.

But in Middlesbrough there was a landslide vote in favour, largely because of interest generated by suspended Detective Superintendent Ray Mallon.

The Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions found that most people wanted to chose their mayor, and eight out of ten thought they could be someone who could speak for the whole area.

Almost a third of people who responded said they would be more likely to vote in a mayoral election than in a poll to choose their local councillor.