Following Plymouth City Council chief executive Barry Keel's announcement that he is standing down, Edd Moore asks who – or what – should take his place in the Civic Centre hot seat.

UPHEAVAL at the helm of Plymouth City Council has sparked renewed calls for an overhaul of local governance.

City business leaders have paid tribute to the seven-year tenure of council chief executive Barry Keel, after he announced he would be quitting the role in May.

But many said the news provided a fresh opportunity for Plymouth to make changes to its structure of governance, including considering the introduction of a directly-elected mayor.

Mr Keel, who said he was leaving the local authority to pursue other interests, is credited with facilitating huge advances in social care, education and adult services since taking over in 2005.

In recent years he has overseen the Citybus sell-off, the transfer of Plymouth's council homes and the fiercely-debated plans to build an incinerator.

Praising Mr Keel's work, Plymouth Chamber of Commerce chief executive David Parlby said the city should "capitalise on the legacy" of improved services by appointing a forward-thinking successor to Mr Keel.

The council is in the process of setting up a cross-party appointments panel to discuss the recruitment process.

But Mr Parlby said: "It is obviously sad to see him go. What we need now is somebody who is capable of running a £600million organisation effectively, taking account of the differing needs and priorities of the different components of the Plymouth community.

"[Mr Keel] has clearly done a lot for the council in terms of moving it from being, I understand, pretty poorly-performing when he arrived to dealing with a number of important issues such as waste disposal, children's services and adult services.

"Particularly in the last two years we've seen big improvements with how economic development has been handled. This city has really started to understand how to work in partnership, and I think that's been a very positive outcome.

"He leaves the city with a good structure in terms of the way we work together. We need to capitalise on the legacy he is leaving behind."

Mr Parlby added: "We would like to see a continuation of the promotion of Plymouth and an improvement to infrastructure and transport, and someone who will continue to improve entrepreneurship to keep jobs in Plymouth.

"There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes in promoting the city as a marine destination. Events such as the America's Cup have really put us on the map."

Professor David Wheeler, chairman of the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership, paid tribute to Mr Keel's "steadfast support" of the partnership, adding that he was hopeful it would continue.

"In the face of stern national economic challenges, now is the time to build self-confidence and momentum in the business community," Mr Wheeler said.

City businessman David Young, who led efforts to organise the America's Cup spectacular, described Mr Keel's departure as "a loss to Plymouth".

But he called for more high-profile leadership in the future, and said the news signalled an opportunity to re-open the debate about elected mayors.

"The council has made extraordinary leaps forward in his time, and that's down to [Mr Keel]," he said. "When he came in we had failing social services and a number of other issues. Some council's departments are award-winning now.

"He has rebuilt and positioned the council in an incredible way. I think he'll be a loss to Plymouth.

"There is no doubt he has contributed a lot, in a very quiet way. He has been a very steadying and understated influence in what has been a very challenging time."

But Mr Young, who also sits on the Plymouth Growth Board, added: "There has sometimes been a need for higher-profile leadership.

"I have a worry that we're still not seeing civil leadership of a high-profile strategic sense.

"We now need someone that is going to build on what Barry created, but perhaps with a bit more profile.

"This could be a great time to have the debate about elected mayors, and it's something we could and should all join in.

"I know a lot of people in the business community who are keen on the idea.

"I think [Mr Keel] will be sadly missed – but every challenge brings an opportunity."

The Government is encouraging cities to consider appointing elected mayors, a step which could be used to combine current official council roles.

As well as a chief executive on a basic salary of £171,498, Plymouth traditionally has a council leader and a separate Lord Mayor. This is a ceremonial role with no power over city affairs, and is nominated and elected by councillors alone.

Other cities and local authorities, including Torbay, are now embracing the elected mayor structure, which Plymouth voted against in a 2002 referendum.

Ken Livingstone and Boris Johnson have both had some success as elected Mayors of London. But in 2002 Hartlepool voters elected H'Angus the Monkey, mascot of the town's football team, who campaigned under the slogan of 'free bananas for schoolchildren'.

"Having an elected mayor is great if you get the right person, but the system doesn't guarantee that," Mr Parlby added.

"As far as the Chamber is concerned, we don't think the annual elections process is working. We'd really like to see a move away from that to a four-year mandate. Whether that's an elected mayor or elected council, we are unequivocal about either."

Fellow Plymouth businessman Richard Smith is also backing a shift away from annual elections.

He said: "We're subjected to petty politics at a local level and when we play ping-pong politics and hold elections every year that doesn't lead to good decision-making or good continuation of policy.

"Having an elected mayor, elected by the people, could change that."

Mr Smith said an elected mayor could replace not just the council leader and Lord Mayor jobs, but also that of chief executive.

"[The role] is not absolutely essential," he said. "It is not beyond possible to replace the role of both the chief executive and the leader of the council with an elected mayor.

"If you look at any successful company, city, or even country, they've all got clearly identifiable leaders.

"We have to acknowledge that the city has moved forward in the last few years," he added. "But it's not getting us where we want to be.

"I want Plymouth to take its place at the top table of UK cities and, sadly, I think we've fallen behind. There are huge frustrations out there and at some stage the people of Plymouth need to decide what, if the current system of local governance is broken, we should replace it with?"