AT the start of the week, we said that the campaign for an elected mayor in Darlington could produce a more democratic way forward regardless of the result.

The campaign for a "yes" vote failed to capture the public's imagination, underlining the fact that Tony Blair's big idea for reinvigorating local government has not been the success he had hoped for.

But we still believe it has been a worthwhile exercise in Darlington because, despite producing a "no" vote, it has confirmed that there is an appetite for change in the town.

It was our stated view that voting for an elected mayor would have been wrong for Darlington because of the risk of putting so much power in to the hands of an unknown person.

We believe that, overall, the town is progressing well - but that there remains significant room for improvement.

Within minutes of yesterday's referendum result being announced, council leader John Williams repeated what he had said after Labour's disappointing performance in the May elections when ten seats were lost.

He said that lessons had to be learned: that the council had to work harder at engaging with people and to be more inclusive.

We now call on him and the Labour group to put flesh on the bones of those promises. How will that greater engagement be encouraged and what steps will be taken to be more inclusive?

The fact that only one in four people bothered to vote in the referendum shows how big a problem disengagement has become.

We welcome yesterday's "no" vote because we believe it is the right decision for the future of Darlington. But we applaud those who have given the system the shake it required.