Petition Calls For Referendum On Cabinet Move At Brighton & Hove City Council

A petition has been started calling for a referendum on whether Brighton and Hove City Council should be run by a cabinet.

Chris Bratt started the petition – Give residents a vote on the future of Brighton and Hove City Council petition on the Change.org website – because he did not agree with scrapping decision-making by committee.

Tomorrow (Thursday 16 May), the council is due to scrap its seven policy-making committees. Instead, council leader Bella Sankey and nine colleagues will form a cabinet which plans to meet monthly.

Decisions will be subject to review by two overview and scrutiny committees – for “people” and “place” – made up mostly of councillors from the ruling Labour group.

The move has been criticised by opposition councillors who feel disenfranchised by the move.

But Councillor Sankey told the last meeting of the full council in March that the cabinet system was the most common system in the country for running councils.

Mr Bratt, 33, founder of People Make Games, started the petition because he said that the move was undemocratic and gave no voice to the 53 per cent of voters who did not back Labour.

He said:

“I was very surprised to see the change come into place, knowing a little bit about Brighton and its history with the committee system. It’s something this area has pushed for throughout its history.

“It feels like it’s part of the city’s political DNA. For a change to happen, to switch again to a cabinet system, it felt like it should be a big moment for the city to debate and discuss.

“It seems like it happened quietly and quickly when the latest administration took over.

“It felt like a power grab by the council with less scrutiny and debate from other parties, and even other Labour councillors who may not be in favour with the current leadership.”

Mr Bratt said that he was a member of Labour in the past and knows the party can be “fractious”.

He said that in 2001 voters rejected proposals to have an elected mayor and cabinet in a referendum. At one point the council did have a cabinet because of government policy.

But when the Green Party – which he has since joined – pledged to resore committees in its 2011 election manifesto, they were elected and carried out their proise.

Mr Bratt said:

“It wasn’t mentioned once in the Labour manifesto so we’ve never had that opportunity to debate the proposal because it was never proposed to us. It just happened.”

After setting up the petition yesterday (Tuesday 14 May), more than 100 people promptly signed it and Mr Bratt hopes to secure support for a debate and a referendum.

Should the council agree to put the case to the vote, he suggested waiting until a future election to minimise costs. A general election is due to take place within months.

The council’s new constitution is due to go before the “annual council meeting” tomorrow (Thursday, May 16) for approval.

All 54 councillors will be asked to vote for the cabinet as well as the two scrutiny committee and a number of regulatory committees.

The cabinet will be led by Councillor Sankey and includes

Councillor Jacob Taylor – deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and city regeneration
Councillor Gill Williams – deputy leader and cabinet member for housing and new homes
Councillor Emma Daniel – cabinet member for children, families and youth services
Councillor Tristram Burden – cabinet member for adult social care and service transformation
Councillor Tim Rowkins – cabinet member for net zero and environmental services
Councillor Trevor Muten – cabinet member for transport, parking and public realm
Councillor Leslie Pumm – cabinet member for communities, equalities and human rights
Councillor Birgit Miller – cabinet member for culture, heritage and tourism
Councillor Alan Robins – cabinet member for sports and recreation

The council is expected to appoint four cabinet advisers

Councillor Ty Goddard – cabinet adviser for regional partnerships and economic growth
Councillor Mitchie Alexander – cabinet adviser for community engagement, food insecurity and allotments
Councillor Paul Nann – cabinet adviser for a homeless hub
Councillor Joy Robinson – cabinet adviser for contract management and procurement

The current mayor, Councillor Jackie O’Quinn, is expected to chair the People Overview and Scrutiny Committee while Councillor Amanda Evans has been nominated to chair the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The regulatory committees – Planning, Licensing, Audit and Standards and the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee – should continue to operate as they did before the proposed changes.