BRISTOL should have an elected mayor, according to a vote of the hundreds of people who attended a heated debate on the issue.

More than 300 people packed into the Council House last night to hear the pros and cons of the role, ahead of a city-wide referendum on May 3.

Three electronic votes were taken and although the ayes had it, far more people were against the idea by the end of the two-hour discussion than at the start.

The initial vote saw 41 per cent saying yes to an elected mayor for Bristol, 12 per cent saying no and 47 per cent undecided.

Then the four guest speakers set out their cases. Architect and Tobacco Factory founder George Ferguson and Conservative deputy leader Mark Weston were in favour, while council and Liberal Democrat leader Barbara Janke and management consultant Deborah Hallett were against.

After they spoke a second vote saw the no's rise dramatically: 38 per cent were in favour, 29 per cent against and 32 per cent still undecided. By the end of the debate 47 per cent said yes, 36 per cent said no and 17 per cent were undecided.

Bristolians can vote to keep the current system of running Bristol City Council, which has a leader voted for by councillors and a cabinet who make the big decisions. The alternative is a mayor directly elected by the people of the city, who then appoints their own cabinet.

The biggest problem the yes campaign appear to have is the huge number of unanswered questions about the role.

One audience member, Tim Knight, reeled off a huge list of questions about how it would all work.

They included what powers the elected mayor would have, what would happen to the existing councillors and who are the yes and no campaigns run by. He said: "If you're going to ask a question you've got to make sure people understand the question. My answer would vary radically depending on what the answer to those questions was."

Mr Knight asked what plans were in place to provide any kind of document that would explain to people exactly what it was people were voting for.

The government is currently working on one, as mayoral elections are taking place in several cities in May, but there is no date set for its publication.

The biggest unresolved issue is what powers the mayor would have, which may not be confirmed until after the referendum. Concerns were raised about cost – £400,000 for the referendum – and potential corruption of having one person with too much power.

The one thing everyone seemed to agree on was it would have been better if the elected mayor's remit was Greater Bristol rather than just the city – but that is not on offer.

Mr Weston said an elected mayor was still an opportunity people should "grab with both hands".

He said: "It comes down to a choice – do you think the current system works? We have 317,000 electors but only 70 councillors choose the leader."

Mr Ferguson, left, said: "A good mayor is a unifying force, that raises the profile of the city. It could also attract new people to politics."

Ms Hallett has experience of working with an elected mayor in London, and said: "The very idea that central government is dictating how you will receive information on their timetable tells you everything you need to know about the idea you're going to get greater democratic representation."

Mrs Janke warned against the idea an elected mayor was the solution to all of Bristol's problems.

She said: "Some of the expectations – that the mayor will be a celebrity, a magical figure – are unrealistic.

"It's what you deliver that counts. I do believe we're starting to deliver in Bristol."