Since winning an extra council seat at the Brunswick & Adelaide by-election in Hove on 4 July, Green councillors have been due to receive an extra seat on the council’s committees.

Despite multiple attempts to meet with the Labour administration and discuss where this allocation should be, Greens were told yesterday (19 September) that their new seat will be on the non-political Licensing Committee, rather than the Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) which helps to oversee the wider performance of the Council.

Greens claim the move is a politically-motivated one, designed to avoid proper scrutiny from the official opposition to the Labour administration.

Currently, Greens have just one seat on the Place OSC – having a second would give them enough councillors to put forward Notices of Motion and propose amendments to items on the agenda, giving them a louder voice and more opportunities to drive the Committee’s agenda.

Earlier this year, Labour changed the council’s governance system from Committee to Cabinet, putting decision-making powers in the hands of 10 Labour Cabinet Members despite making no reference to this in their local election manifesto.

As part of this process, two ‘Overview and Scrutiny’ Committees – ‘Place’ and ‘People’ – were created to scrutinise Cabinet Member decisions.

Steve Davis, Leader of Green Group said: “This is a clear attempt by the Labour administration to stifle democracy and shut out opposition voices. Their switch to the less democratic Cabinet system earlier this year had no mandate from residents, and now they are trying to avoid proper scrutiny by blocking opposition members from the very committees that are supposed to keep the administration in check.”

“It’s more obvious than ever that Brighton & Hove Labour reflect the increasingly authoritarian nature of their national party and are not remotely interested in proper debate and scrutiny. Despite what [Labour council leader] Cllr Sankey may think, people in this city who didn’t vote Labour still deserve their voices to be heard, and to be properly represented within this council.”

Notes

One of Labour’s own councillors, Joy Robinson, is currently under investigation after appearing to brag about Greens having “no voice” in the council, in a now-deleted tweet: https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2024/09/18/here-are-the-reasons-for-the-latest-complaints-about-councillors/

Seats on committees are allocated based on the number of councillors of a political party. Prior to the by-election on the 4 July, Greens were allocated eight out of the total 63 seats – their win at the by-election increased that number to nine.

The post Greens accuse Labour of ‘stifling democracy’ over Scrutiny Committee allocations appeared first on Brighton & Hove Green Party.

Wednesday’s counter-demonstration showed hope will always win against hate in Brighton and Hove 

9 August 2024 – Brighton and Hove Green Party were proud to join the thousands of counter-protesters who flooded Queen’s Road in Brighton to protest peacefully against the threat of organised racist and Islamophobia violence on the streets of our city on Wednesday.

The anti-racist crowd vastly outnumbered a tiny group of anti-immigration protesters. 

The racist protesters in the city on Wednesday were few and believed to have come from outside Brighton and Hove, as part of a targeted online campaign.

Greens are clear that these people are not welcome in our city and we are proud to have stood with the people of Brighton and Hove in opposition to these attacks on our communities. 

Green Party MP for Brighton Pavilion, Sian Berry, was among the counter-protesters along with city Green councillors Steve Davis, Kerry Pickett, Sue Shanks, Pete West and Ollie Sykes. 

Brighton and Hove is a proud ‘City of Sanctuary’, which celebrates diversity and is a safe, welcoming place for refugees. These values are embedded in our communities and across the city and will remain so.

Pic: Green city councillors Kerry Pickett and Steve Davis at the anti-fascist counter-rally.

Greens are clear that what is happening on streets across the country is not ‘thuggery’ but organised political violence perpetrated by fascist, domestic terrorists. This cannot stand and it is imperative that the Labour government starts to call out this violence for what it is and take action accordingly. 

Steve Davis, leader of the opposition on Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe living in our city. We want to support our residents in countering the wider impacts of this hatred that has made some people feel they cannot belong here if they do not fit within a fascist’s view of society.”

Greens stand in solidarity with every community that has been attacked or threatened by organised political violence on our streets in recent weeks.

Greens also support the police and emergency workers who are protecting the people in these communities as well as the community leaders and individuals working to bring communities together in the face of a political campaign that aims to divide us. 

Please reach out personally where you can to show solidarity with Muslim people and members of other ethnic minorities in your community. Together we can show that solidarity and love are stronger than hatred and fear.

The post City Greens join peaceful protest against far-right agitators  appeared first on Brighton & Hove Green Party.