A senior councillor has stepped down as a member of the Labour cabinet that runs Brighton and Hove City Council.
Councillor Tristram Burden has stepped down as the cabinet member for adult social care, public health and service transformation. He will continue to serve as a ward councillor for Queen’s Park.
He will be replaced by Councillor Jacob Allen who has been made interim cabinet member and will step down as the deputy chair of the council’s Planning Committee.
He will now oversee our work in areas like public health, adult safeguarding, adult social care, corporate performance, modernisation and IT and digital.
Councillor Allen is due to attend his first cabinet meeting in his new role tomorrow (Thursday 13 February).
The Labour leader of the council Bella Sankey said: “Councillor Burden has been a valued member of our cabinet.
“I would like to thank him for his hard work in helping this council deliver on our priority of creating a better Brighton and Hove for all.
“From more supported accommodation for those with mental health needs to developing our new drug and alcohol strategy, Councillor Burden has worked hard to deliver more effective services to those most in need.
“I am sure Councillor Burden will remain a passionate advocate and champion for residents in Queen’s Park.”
Councillor Sankey added: “I am delighted to appoint Councillor Allen to this important portfolio on an interim basis.
“I know he will roll up his sleeves and embrace our vital work delivering high-quality adult social care, timely public health interventions and service transformation.”
Councillor Sankey has also appointed a new cabinet adviser for devolution and local government reorganisation, John Hewitt.
The Hangleton and Knoll ward councillor takes on the brief within days of an announcement that Brighton and Hove and Sussex would be included in the government’s “accelerated devolution programme”.
Councillor Sankey said: “With the recent news that Brighton and Hove and Sussex have been accepted on to the government’s ‘devolution priority programme’, it’s all hands on deck to create a new strategic authority for our region and develop proposals for local government reorganisation.
“I’m delighted to appoint Councillor Hewitt as cabinet adviser for this project.”
The role replaces the previous cabinet adviser post on regional partnership held by Councillor Ty Goddard before he stepped down from the post last month.
Scandal incoming…
Don’t think so, he still has a ward, normally the scandalalous ones would out not still hanging in there,
It could be because he has some backbone and simply can’t stomach the cuts budget his Cabinet colleagues will push through later this month because they don’t dare criticise the continuing austerity the new Chancellor is carrying on with.
Surely there must be more councillors and Labour members who can’t stand what they are seeing and feel horrified by the policies Labour are peddling nationally, and national decisions labour groups locally are supporting by their silence.
His wife was not very well – it’s more likely to do with that.
That would make a lot of sense, considering the past few weeks leading up to this. I hope he and his wife are doing well. Some of the comments left on here are quite pathetic.
Looking at his socials he loves a photo op. Nothing to do with cuts otherwise he would resign the party altogether and go independent. Will he do it? Looks like he made cuts and left. Maybe he should never be given that role in the first place.
He’s a good man. Think it’s to do with his personal circumstances
Yes, but why? Half the story is missing.
Tristram has been a dedicated compassionate hard working caring councilor and before being elected councilor was active in community projects food banks etc aimed to help the most vulnerable in our community . The vile insults and innuendo posted above says far more about the folk who have posted them than they do about Tristram who is a lovely fellow .
I’m not reading any vile insults. Just a genuine curiosity as no reason is given. There does not need to be one granted but in its absence people may wonder. Personal reasons or cracks appearing in the cabinet.
Especially given the recent history of many labour councillors.
Yeah, I would agree with you Billy. Tristram has been a positive force in my dealings with him. I wish him the best.
Tristram has worked hard to support his ward and I myself have had his support along with my neighbour on serious matters of maladministration and discrimination from the he council. He is a decent man with morals and integrity! He probably challenged the “status quo” and wasn’t happy to break his own morals by going along with Sankey and Co!
Please do not defame his character.
He has been truly thrown under the bus, the poor lad. His political career is over. He could resign the Labour Party and put an statement out so he leaves with his head and integrity high. Take control of his narrative.
He hasn’t been thrown under the bus at all. He resigned from his Cabinet role. Honestly Cabinet members have a very big work load, on top of their ward work and the pay is not good. A lot of the time, a councillor has to step down from some of their tasks , as it’s stressful and sometimes they might need to step back a bit in order to continue to be a good ward councillor and to actually spend some time with their families.
How many councillors are in the anti-democratic “Cabinet” of BHCC?
How can you call something anything anti-democratic if you don’t even know what the structure is? That’s just very silly.
It’s anti democratic in the sense that residents in the city did not ask for the change to a Cabinet system, and Labour left it out of their 2023 manifesto. Residents were not asked, did not have a say, and did not vote for it. That sounds pretty undemocratic to me.
The administration have basically forced a new decision-making system on residents in the city which means that within the majority Labour group of about 38 councillors, a selection of about 10 make pretty much ALL the decisions. On top of that the new structure means that one single person, the Leader of the council, can make decisions on their own.
The only people the new Cabinet system aids are the Labour administration, and arguably council officers because of reduced admin because of the greater control Labour have given themselves by adopting this way of working.
Each member of the Cabinet (inverted commas not necessary) is an elected councillor!
The number of Cabinet members, their names, portfolios and even how much they get paid are all available on the Councils website.
Everyone stop spreading vile unsubstantiated nonsense.
If you wish to say anything speak from your own personal experience of the man!
I have only good things to say. In my experience he has been a conscientious, hard working, attentive councillor and has always pursued and reported back on all my concerns over the years.
Glad he is remaining a councillor for Queens Park.
Well said, Stanley. Tristram has been a character of strong moral justice, in my experience, unafraid to challenge what needs to be, even if that meant reflecting inward.
Down with the green party
This is a story about a Labour politician….
Down with TV licensing! What…? We’re not just randomly going on about unrelated topics?