RADICAL reforms are needed to bring local government closer to the people, including the possibility of elected mayors, Blackburn Coun Peter Greenwood told the Association of District Councils annual conference.

Coun Greenwood, who is the ADC chairman, challenged national parties and local government to meet the changes.

"Local communities in Britain need open, vigorous and effective local government to promote their needs," he told the conference in Harrogate.

"We support the intent to empower citizens, decentralise government and establish stakeholder government promoted by national political parties."

Coun Greenwood urged the two opposition parties to set out their vision for new local government with this in mind.

And he warned: "Local government itself has to change to meet the developing needs of local citizens. There can be no going back to the past."

He detailed five areas of reform to ensure local government remains at the centre of public life and government in the next decade:

Community leadership - this should be the central role for local government, placing the citizen first and empowering local people to run their own local communities.

New leadership, including experiments with new options and elected mayors.

Democratic renewal - with increased public participation, higher voting turnouts and opening councils outward to the public to regain public trust and support.

Best value to the public - as resources lessen, said Coun Greenwood, it is essential to get more value from existing resources.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.