WORCESTER is not going to have a directly-elected Mayor after the idea was given the thumbs-down by city people.

Both the city council and Worcestershire County Council have been consulting with their electorate over the past months at the request of the Government, which is pushing through modernisation plans for all local authorities.

At present, both councils are experimenting with a cabinet and leader model, but have been asking for guidance before deciding on a permanent system.

Other options being mooted were an elected Mayor with councillors, an elected Mayor with a paid council manager, a leader and cabinet, and a fully-elected cabinet.

The consultation process is now complete and it is understood that about 60 per cent of the electorate who expressed a view have plumped for the leader and cabinet system to be formalised.

The Government's original aim was to make council decision-making more ''transparent with a clearly-defined executive to give strong leadership''.

It saw executive members making many of the day-to-day decision directly, with ''scrutiny'' committees made up of councillors from all parties, often chaired by the main opposition councillors. It would be for the full council to ratify all decisions.

Both councils will now have to devise a new constitution to put forward for ratification by the Secretary of State by Friday, September 14.

Should that be given the green light, then a programme to formalise the system will be devised, probably to take effect in 2002.

The position of Worcester Mayor seems almost certain to have been secured by this move, as there will now be little conflict of interest.

It is likely to be similar to the present, with a mainly ceremonial role.

The city and county councils have attracted approval for their handling of the consultation process, which is seen to have had more local input than that of many other authorities.

They were praised by Dr Colin Copus, an academic based at Birmingham University's Institute of Local Government Studies, who co-authored the DETR guidance document New Council Constitutions: Consultation Guidance for Local Authorities.

The result of the consultation process by Malvern and Wychavon district councils is not known.