Green councillors in Brighton and Hove are calling for an emergency full council meeting to discuss Labour’s proposal for a Sussex-wide mayor.
A far-reaching decision is due to be made tomorrow (Thursday 9 January) by the council’s cabinet – made up of 10 Labour councillors – the Grens said.
It would “fast-track a move which would see Brighton and Hove come under the control of a Sussex-wide mayor”.
The last time an elected mayor was proposed to run Brighton and Hove, a referendum was held and the proposal was overwhelmingly rejected. Labour lost their council majority at the next local elections.
The Greens said: “A white paper on devolution was released by the government shortly before Christmas. The decision that cabinet is taking will be made less than a month later.
“Green councillors have slammed the move, highlighting the speed with which the decision will have been made and the lack of any kind of public consultation.
“Greens say this first step should have been a decision for full council to make – allowing all councillors to discuss the issue rather than a handful of Labour members.
“(They) are calling for any final decisions on large-scale changes to local democracy to be subject to a binding referendum.”
Steve Davis, the Green opposition leader on the council, said: “The proposals going before cabinet tomorrow represent a step towards some of the largest changes to local democracy that we have seen in recent history.
“Labour has absolutely no mandate for these plans which have been drawn up in haste, leaving very little time for proper scrutiny.
“Labour are taking a huge gamble with our city’s future which, based on the last elections, could see it put under the control of a Tory or even Reform mayor.
“This is a clear example of politics being done to people, not for them – the residents of Brighton and Hove deserve to have their say on this massive decision.”
The East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council cabinets are holding similar meetings tomorrow.
The aim is for a joint submission to the government by the two county councils and Brighton and Hove City Council this week.
It is obscene that a cabinet of only 9 Brighton and Hove City Councillors out of 54, a sixth of all City Councillors, are potentially making this decision on behalf of the whole city.
Let’s not forget too that Council Leader Sankey has hitherto failed to provide proof the Gunning principles were followed in forming her cabinet council, potentially rendering it invalid, which would mean undoing all decisions it has made so far, if the case.
We need to demand a public referendum on a decision this major, not just for Brighton and Hove, but for the whole of Sussex.
But perhaps first a Judicial Review of how the cabinet council came to be founded as if it is not on firm foundations, it has no business other than immediate dissolution.
Some going for a powergrab before new Government policies are brought in.
100% agree with your view about the way the Cabinet has been steamrollered in is obscene.
Any positives of devolution are being lost by the way this Labour council seem intent to ignore residents voices. Devolution is much more than just installing a mayor, we’re talking about boundary changes and combining local authorities. Personally I can’t imagine the good people of Lewes, or Worthing, or wherever Labour decide to draw the boundary lines would relish the idea of City Clean being responsible for their bins collections. There are so many implications of merging councils, and the lack of detail coming from Labour abour what options they are considering, including where they might want to draw the lines, feels secretive. Its certainly not the listening Labour they promised they would be.
It’s also quite shocking that the plans would delay local elections in some areas – that’s hindering democracy and quite shocking on its own!
Registered electors have the right to raise a petition calling for a referendum on the matter of changing the Council’s governance arrangements.
Under the Local Authorities (Referendums) (Petitions) (England) Regulations 2011, one of the things a Council must do is to inform people about their right to ask for a referendum on the matter of changing the Council’s governance arrangements.
Regulations under the Act provide for a referendum to be held where at least 5% of local government electors petition the Council for a referendum on whether the Council should change to a different form of governance.
Off you go.
Cart before horse.
There was no mention of a cabinet council on Labour’s manifesto in 2023 so it could be argued they were voted in under false pretences.
Moreover there is no proof to date that they have followed the Gunning priniciples to establish a cabinet council, which in itself could render Brighton and Hove City Council invalid.
Now, here we are allowing them to make decisions well above the competance of nine city Councillors left to play SimSussex with our lives in real time.
This is nothing more than an attempt by the labour government to remove our right to vote. They are terrified that reform is going to have a major impact at the local elections in May. The streets of Brighton and Hove are becoming more violent and you all know why.
Yup, first Labour swing for the pensioners, then the farmers, then the Waspies and now our right to vote.
A certain Capo has a lot to answer for.
Labour swing for pensioners was a set up to be mugged down the line.
I am not sure that Reform will win here – but in Brighton we have the deeply unpopular Tories, the failed Greens and now the nationally failing Labour party.
Labour and The Tories have turned on their traditional voter base. The Greens are still highly discredited for poor financial management and the imposition of their sinister ideology in schools. Perhaps we will see a swing to the Lib-Dems ?
At risk of seeing Davey pole dancing in a mankini – please no more ‘Trusties’ knocking on my door telling me how great the Lib Dems are.
Could you explain how the UK will become a dictatorship and when please? A cogent rationale explaining how this will happen only please.
Further, please explain what we all know about the increasing violence on the streets. Underpin your assertion with facts though.
So let’s get this straight, Brighton and Hove City Council, West Sussex County Council and East Sussex County Council are all having meetings on devolution and forming a mega Sussex council on the same morning today.
This means that NO Sussex resident is enabled to attend all three meetings as they are in different parts of the county and more or less simultaneous in timing.
Accident?
And does this also mean there is an untabled meeting happening this afternoon between all three Councils that we do not know about?
Or has one already occurred?
I want less politics not more, politics is so outdated, red, blue, green, yellow – who cares apart from the political elite – get rid of the lot, they’ll be no benefit to any of use.
Rarely in the field of political debate has so much nonsense been spoken by so many ill-informed people with so few concrete facts at theit disposal.
The devolution plans are at a very early stage and absolutely noboby knows for certain what the actual proposals will be.
The is the Green Party dog-whistle at its worst!
When is the next meeting on this matter?
This council seem to behave in a dictatorial, illegal and unsafe way. There is a mountain of evidence to support this.
Think the ‘deeply unpopular’ Tories should now read, ‘deeply unpopular’ Labour. Tell me, is anyone any better off yet? Are you likely to be? I’m surprised Labour are so keen on this idea, because I certainly can’t see it being a Labour mayor. No bad thing I suppose.