Brighton & Hove Green Councillors are asking for an emergency Full Council meeting to discuss the proposals for a Sussex-wide mayor
This Thursday, the Labour Cabinet will meet to make a decision on behalf of the entire city, asking the Labour government to fast-track a move which would see Brighton & Hove come under the control of a Sussex-wide mayoralty.
A white paper on devolution was released by the government shortly before Christmas. The decision that Cabinet is taking this Thursday 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 – and are calling for any final decisions on large scale changes to local democracy to be subject to a binding referendum.
Steve Davis, Green Group Convenor, said:
“The proposals going before Cabinet this Thursday 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 & Hove deserve to have their say on this massive decision.”
