A MAJOR public consultation exercise is being launched to help decide how best to run the local authority.

More than 120,000 leaflets this week began dropping through letterboxes borough-wide asking for the local preference on three alternative methods of running Wigan Metro.

They have the choice of an elected mayor, a council leader and a cabinet or an elected mayor and council manager -- options drawn up because of Government-enforced changes within local politics.

What is happening in Wigan is taking place across the country because new rules have been introduced by the Government. It wants to transform the traditional committee system that local government has followed since Victorian times. Instead of committees of councillors taking most decisions there will be a split between a small group of people -- the Executive -- who will have the power to take policy decisions, and the large majority of the councillors who will challenge and check those decisions.

The theory is that councillors who aren't part of the Executive will spend less time in meetings and more dealing with the community at grass roots level.

The first option is an American-style elected mayor with cabinet would mean councillors would be elected as at present and the mayor -- who needn't necessarily have local government experience -- will be elected separately for four years. The mayor would then choose a cabinet of up to nine councillors and these 10 would be responsible for most policy decisions, which the whole council could challenge and check.

The current civic 'non political' mayor would become chairman of the council. The second option of a leader with cabinet means the electorate would vote for council representatives as they now do and the councillors would choose a leader.

The leader or council would choose a cabinet responsible for most policy decisions, scrutinised by the whole council and operated similarly to Parliament.

The third option being put forward is of an elected mayor with council manager which some would draw a parallel alongside a private company with a chairman and chief executive. Councillors would be elected as at present but the electorate would also cast another vote for mayor. The council would appoint a manager to carry out the decisions of the mayor, with the council as the ultimate watchdog.

Wigan's chief executive Stephen Jones said: "Last year we carried out an independently organised consultation and have operated an experimental leader and cabinet model for the past 12 months. But before reaching its final decision on the right choice for the borough the council wants to hear the views of all residents and organisations."

Leaflets will be distributed until early April. Replies must be returned by April 16. Proposals for a new constitution should be finalised by the end of June. To find out more about the options or the process write to him c/o Chief Executive's department, Town Hall, Library Street, Wigan or e-mail pr@wiganmbc.gov.uk