NO LOCAL elections will take place in Stoke-on-Trent until 2011 to allow the city to undergo major democratic changes, a report has revealed.

After a gap next year, the city was expected to return to the polls in May 2010 to elect 20 of Stoke-on-Trent City Council's 60 members.

But moves to adopt whole-council elections and smaller, single-member wards mean the elections look certain to be put back a year.

The changes are part of a series of measures laid down by the Stoke-on-Trent Governance Commission earlier this year to help stimulate interest in politics, stem the rise of extremism and introduce greater stability into the council.

Last month, the council agreed to carry out a city-wide consultation on proposals to hold all-out elections every four years, instead of electing a third of the 60 council members each year and having no polls in the fourth year.

Approval is expected to pave the way for the introduction of single-member wards, replacing the current system of three councillors to each ward.

But the changes need to be approved by the Electoral Commission and the Boundary Commission for England, which would have to carry out a lengthy consultation and review of ward boundaries in the city.

The timescale would make it impossible to hold elections in 2010 unless the council rejects all the proposed reforms and keeps its current system.

In his address to Thursday's full council meeting, elected mayor Mark Meredith, pictured left, – whose own term of office expires in June following a referendum decision to abolish his post – will confirm that the 2010 polls are almost certain to be cancelled.

The move will mean 20 members who were due to face re-election in 2010 will now keep their seats for another year.

They include six portfolio holders: Conservative and Independent Alliance leader Roger Ibbs, Labour group leader Joy Garner, Liberal Democrat group leader Jean Bowers and Labour's Mohammed Pervez, Adrian Knapper and Joan Bell.

Also benefiting from an extra year in office will be the current Lord Mayor of Stoke-on-Trent, councillor Derek Capey, City Independent leader Ann James, BNP group leader Alby Walker and BNP members Philip Sandland and Anthony Simmonds.

Twenty other councillors, who were elected this year, will see their terms cut short if all-out elections take place in 2011. Mr Ibbs said delaying elections until 2011 would benefit the city.

He said: "Without doubt, waiting until 2011 would give us some stability, which would be a good thing given the importance of the governance arrangements we have got to introduce."

But Potteries Alliance leader councillor Peter Kent-Baguley said the postponement would create more problems than advantages.

He said: "I think it would have been good to have all-out elections next June so that the new system of governance could start off with a brand new council chamber as well.

"Delaying elections until 2011 is particularly unfortunate given that there are so many major policy issues in the pipeline, such as the schools restructure and the privatisation of council services."

The council will reach a decision on whether to have all-out elections on January 22.

The consultation exercise runs until the end of this month.