BOLTON Council party leaders have criticised the lack of choice offered to voters in a consultation on the future running of the town.

Councillors voted unanimously this week to tell Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott that the town wanted to keep its traditional mayor --the view of 52pc of more than 2,000 respondents.

But there was widespread agreement that the only three choices which the Government allowed the town hall to offer were not enough.

Council leader Cllr Bob Howarth said: "I think it's fair to say that many of us would have wished there were more choices available."

While councillors welcomed a consultation result which backed the council leader and cabinet system -- which includes keeping the mayor's non-political, ceremonial role -- there is a feeling that the process was a missed opportunity.

The only other options were an elected mayor and hand-picked cabinet and elected mayor with a powerful council manager.

Creating elected mayors had been one of the Government's big ideas to revive interest in local politics but it has proved something of a damp squib.

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Barbara Ronson: "Many people wish there had been more choice about which system was adopted instead of just looking at the prescribed three.

"There were those of us who hoped modernisation would include looking at the voting system."

Tory deputy leader Cllr John Walsh was even blunter in his criticism of the elected mayor consultation -- an option the likes of Tony Blair and John Prescott were known to favour.

He said: "At the end of the day it's the biggest snub imaginable to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and various members of the Cabinet, so I'm delighted that the people of Bolton had the good sense to choose the least worst option."

Cllr Walsh added that the cabinet and leader system, where power is concentrated among a small inner circle of councillors, was not ideal.

"While there were many in this council who thought while the committee system needed to be improved, it at least gave more members more input into the process."

Cllr Howarth added: "Within the three limited choices there's overall agreement between the parties that we would like to stay with the traditional mayor."