Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent

The Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent was an executive mayoralty that existed from 2002 to 2009, when the executive of Stoke-on-Trent City Council was a directly elected mayor. The authority was unique in being the only authority in England with an elected mayor and council manager. The first mayor was Mike Wolfe, a former manager of the Citizen's Advice Bureau in the city. He had stood as an independent, but was defeated by Mark Meredith representing the Labour Party in 2005. A referendum was held on 24 October 2008. Residents voted in favour of a return to the council leader and cabinet system. There was controversy when it was revealed three years later that plans to close a swimming pool in the city had been agreed privately by the former mayor.