Sitting in the public gallery observing the latest meeting of the full Brighton and Hove City Council on April 25 was a distinctly unedifying experience.

With many still reeling from the shock of the National Front gaining second place in the French presidential elections, it is all too easy to see how the same thing could happen here with extremists taking advantage of public complacency and disillusionment with the democratic process.

At the meeting, most issues seemed to have been decided in advance, either by a small clique of the ruling Labour Party or - worse still - unelected council officers.

One hopes things will improve with the adoption of a new council constitution. This will see the introduction of a reformed version of the old committee system, which should allow more issues to be properly aired.

The standard of "debate" at the meeting was embarrassingly poor - deeply partisan, boorish, sterile and, occasionally, downright infantile.

A lot of time was taken up answering relatively trivial questions from Conservative councillors who said they were unable to extract satisfactory responses by any other means. Telephone calls and emails to council officials and executive council members are allegedly ignored.

An opportunity for the public to pose verbal questions directly to council members should be warmly welcomed but the initiative appears to have been hijacked by a motley band of individuals whose motivation is questionable. Their behaviour in continually shouting out unhelpful remarks from the public gallery should not be tolerated and, in blithely allowing such interventions, the Mayor not only tarnishes the dignity of his own office but further demeans democracy.

-Peter Lilley, Deputy Chairman (Political), Hove Conservative Association, Salisbury Road, Hove