When it comes to campaigning for local government reform, Labour is facing a dilemma. On the one hand, it needs to win back control of great swathes of England lost to the Tories; Labour now controls only 45 councils compared to the Conservatives’ 215. On the other hand, the present system of annual elections for only a third of seats at a time in most of the unitary authorities means that winning control could take a generation.

Winning control is the only way for Labour to help its residents and steer local policymaking, yet the current constitutional setup stands in the way. So it is perhaps time for Labour councillors – many of whom are slogging away in opposition – to take stock and ask fundamental questions about how best Labour can return to office soon. One option, currently unfashionable in traditional local government circles, could be to opt for an elected mayoral system. With so many localities controlled by Tories and Lib Dems, it may well soon be the case that a reboot of council constitutional structures and fresh all-out mayoral elections offers Labour the best prospect for revival.

The advantages of an elected mayoral system are starting to outweigh the disadvantages. Sir Jeremy Beecham, the LGA’s Labour Group leader, recently led the charge against elected mayors at the National Policy Forum, making the point that structural debates distract from real policy. It is true that Whitehall-imposed constitutional structures should be avoided if local consensus is settled. And there are cases where a strong council leader is just as effective as any directly mandated mayor.

But if we are honest, the real reason why many councillors are instinctively against the elected mayoral model is the notion that their role and power base might be diminished. In truth this is an old battle fought long ago – the really significant shift in councillor power occurred when the old committee structures were abolished in favour of the executive cabinet system, which still leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of many who felt marginalised by that change. Whether a council has a cabinet or an elected mayor, backbench councillors still need to come to terms with a role that is less operationally executive and more community-oriented.

The dozen elected mayors have helped to sharpen up the terms of political debate in their areas, giving a far higher profile to both the council and to the needs of their communities than most other local authorities have been able to achieve. Jules Pipe has galvanised national media attention for his Hackney transport links campaigns; Robin Wales has led the field in gripping the crime agenda in Newham; John Harrison has taken real strides forward on community engagement in North Tyneside.

In the modern media age, where local people are more mobile with busy lives, traditional methods of dialogue with local councillors need to be revisited. Most local newspapers and regional TV broadcast journalists struggle to report the minutiae of council decisions unless they are easily accessible, involving instantly recognisable politicians. Strong leadership is an essential prerequisite for vibrant local democratic accountability. If decisionmakers are not visible, then no wonder we see apathy – at best – from the electorate. The elected mayoral system cuts through this confusion and makes it clear to the public where the buck stops. This summer’s Ipsos Mori poll showed 71 per cent of the public cannot identify their council leader. It also showed that younger people – and Labour voters in particular – were more inclined to favour moves to an elected mayoral model in England’s cities. As society evolves, our local democratic structures need to evolve as well.

The elected mayoral model offers the prospect of democratically elected local leaders moving from simply running council services, to ambassadorial positions of authority for an entire area. The devolution agenda has not yet broken through into those corners of Whitehall where local government remains persistently unfashionable – and where the excuses of ‘poor leadership’ or ‘weak mandate’ are used casually as excuses to retain a centralist grip. If elected mayors are a means to dispel these lingering doubts about accountability and leadership, then this could be the best way to unlock the next wave of decentralisation. PCT commissioning powers and policing policy should be given to local authorities to lead – and the elected mayor is the obvious person to grab the reins. If Labour wants to win back influence across England and revive local democracy, then elected mayors should be considered afresh.