A petition which calls for people outside of London to be able to vote for the capital’s mayor has been branded “ludicrous and illogical.”

The petition, started by Lorrain Davis, claims voters outside of London should have their say in 2020 because the Mayor of London’s decisions have a “roll-on effect” on the rest of the UK.

But closer to home, Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor says people would rather want a mayor who could respond to issues they face in the town they live in, as opposed to miles away in the country’s capital.

He said: “I don’t support the petition I think it is important when you vote for someone in local government that they know the issues you are facing.

“It is illogical and ludicrous to think someone in Inverness would be allowed to have a say over what is happening in London, over an issue that does not affect them.

“It is important that when Watford voters vote on an issue, they want a Watford candidate.”

He believes the petition is possibly a result of perceived bias and attention that London and much of the south-east of England receives.

He added: “I think this is part of rising concern about the amount of attention that London and the south-east gets.

“We have rising housing prices while other parts of the country have streets with houses lying empty.”

When asked whether this would undermine his position as mayor, he cited the confusion caused by having three mayors in Liverpool where there exists a Lord Mayor, a city mayor and a regional mayor.

“The petition wouldn’t affect democracy.

"Certainly, London’s decisions affect parts of Watford, but we could end up like Liverpool where they have three mayors, and people don’t know whom to go to.

“I don’t think this would be a good situation at all.”

On Facebook, a number of people reacted negatively to the idea.

Shahid Khan wrote: “No I don't agree and in any case, the role of the London mayor's power seems far too limited in comparison with the other world city its compared with.”

Others believe the right to vote should be extended due to the capital's influence on the country.

Liam Wraith said: “It could be a good thing for everyone to have a say on the person who is running the capital of the country.

“Decisions made by the London Mayor can affect the rest of the country sometimes, but I get why it makes no sense.”

Däniel Harwin suggested the vote should be restricted to the Home Counties because the population often commutes to London to work.

He said: “Not the whole UK but it definitely should be extended to the home counties.

“Think of all the thousands of people who live outside but commute into work in London everyday spending most of their time during the week in London.

“They should have a say on how the city is run. They would be affected by most issues just as much as London residents would.”