Not even 12 months into the job, and Stoke City Council's elected mayor, ~Mark Meredith~ is already making an impact on the city's future through a number of changes – with more on the way.

The two-person system set up in Stoke, which follows the elected mayor and city manager model, is unique, with Mr Meredith the only elected member of the executive. The model sees decisions being made on behalf of the directorate and does away with the need for a portfolio holder for each individual issue being addressed.