An attempt to force a referendum on whether an elected mayor should be abolished has failed.
Councillors in Bedford rejected a Labour motion to let residents decide the future of the role.
They were told a referendum would cost £375,000 to organise.
Opponents of the elected mayor system said the poll could still happen if enough residents signed a petition.
Bedford has had an elected mayor since 2002, when residents voted in favour of the move in a referendum.
The leader of the Labour group, Abu Sultan, told a meeting of the full council on Wednesday that, after more than 20 years, it was time to give the people a chance to vote again.
Sultan added that the motion was “not about settling a political score with any particular person”.
