The arguments are almost over. The time for voting has begun. Brighton and Hove residents have two weeks to decide if they want a directly-elected mayor.

Our position is clear. A mayor with a small Cabinet could make quick decisions in the interests of the city.

But there would still be scores of councillors representing people in their wards. There would still be a council deciding the budget and setting the policy framework.

There would still be a civic mayor for ceremonial duties and there would still be a scrutiny process to make sure the mayor was doing a good job.

The mayor would be elected by the people every four years and whoever was chosen would not even have to be a councillor.

This leader need not belong to a political party. He or she would simply be the best person for the job.

The alternative is an improved version of the old committee system which served Brighton and Hove for more than a century.

Even a streamlined version would be too cumbersome and slow for a modern city of 250,000 people wanting to go places.

A mayor could clear up long-standing problems such as refuse collection while also becoming a popular symbol of the city.

Lord Bassam makes the case passionately for a mayor in The Argus today. Tomorrow, Councillor Francis Tonks persuasively puts the No arguments.

Read them and make up your own mind. But if you live in Brighton and Hove, for the sake of local democracy, vote.