Livingstone could get extra powers

Ken Livingstone could be given stronger powers to run London.

The move is part of new government plans to get more cities to adopt directly-elected mayors.

Mr Livingstone's office confirmed today that he wants control of London's multibillion pound housing budget.

He also wants more say over commuter railways and a single authority to deal with the capital's waste management.

The extension of the Mayor's power could come under a five-year plan for revolutionising the way town

halls work which was unveiled today by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott.

Other key measures include bringing in business chiefs to run councils and giving neighbourhoods a say in how their services are run.

Another potentially controversial idea is to hold local elections once every four years rather than the current system where polls are held virtually every year.

The Government's Vibrant Local Leadership document admits that "directly-elected mayors have not been taken up widely".

But ministers believe that Mr Livingstone has done such a good job in London, particularly in getting more police, that the idea should be spread across the country.

The report says mayors "provide clear public accountability and visibility," adding: "Where local people have chosen to elect a mayor, there is evidence that they have achieved a relatively high level of public recognition.

"In some cases, mayors have become a strong focus and force for change for things that matter most to local people, such as crime and antisocial behaviour, but they suggest that more could be done if they had more powers." The move to local elections every four years could prove controversial. Critics may claim that ministers are trying to remove what has turned into an annual mass referendum on the Government's performance.

Mr Prescott's plans to roll back power from town halls to individual neighbourhoods would see tenants or residents' associations allowed to group together when council fail to deliver good services.

Budgets could be delegated to ward councillors and new by-laws introduced to tackle yobbish behaviour.