The Local Government Bill which became law on Friday, could lead to local authorities having directly-elected mayors in the same way Ken Livingstone came to power in London.

Local government is going through its biggest revolution in more than a century, and it's taking place fast.

Already councils like Brighton and Hove have adopted experimentally the new cabinet system to replace committees which have existed since Victorian times.

And it is possible that by this time next year, Brighton and Hove could have its very own elected mayor. It all depends on the Local Government Bill, which became law on Friday.

It gives the sanction for experimental cabinet systems like Brighton and Hove's to be widely adopted and also provides for directly-elected mayors.

Councils can choose whether to have a leader and cabinet similar to the current Brighton and Hove model or whether to have a mayor and cabinet.

There is also a third option of a mayor with a chief official running the show, but this is unlikely to prove popular.

Now the Bill has become law, councils like Brighton and Hove will be obliged to carry out full consultation with the people on which option they would like.

Once this has been done, and it could be as early as October, proposals will be drawn up and sent to the Government.

If the consensus is for a leader with cabinet and the Government agrees, that system could be confirmed quickly as the right one to put in place, But if five per cent of the electorate seeks a referendum on a directly-elected mayor, or if the Government and council recommend one, there will be a vote, possibly as early as December.

If the referendum result is in favour of a directly-elected mayor, the election could be held as soon as May next year.

The chosen candidate would be duly installed and would take up office four days after the election.

All this depends on a speedy and smooth progress not often seen in local government. But even if there were obstacles on the way, there would be elections for the new mayor at the latest by May 2002.

The timing is crucial because of another and more important contest: the general election.

That must be held by May 2002, five years after Tony Blair swept to power.

Mr Blair has to decide on the timing of that and he could go to the polls four years after being elected, a timing used with effect by Mrs Thatcher for the Tories in both 1983 and 1987.

It matters in Brighton and Hove because some of the possible candidates for Mayor would also like to be MPs.

If the general election were later than the mayoral election, all the Parliamentary candidates would still be hoping for seats at Westminster and would not bother locally.

But if the general election were held first, one or more of the defeated candidates might be extremely interested in the mayoral election.

This applies particularly in Brighton and Hove where Councillor Jenny Langston aims to replace Labour's Ivor Caplin as the local MP. Whoever loses is unlikely to keep quiet for long.

A main aim of the new changes, especially having directly-elected mayors, is to increase interest in councils and what they do.

It might even work. And whatever happens, don't say you weren't warned about the changes due to take place within the next year or two.