It is right every important issue that affects the future of Brighton and Hove should be the subject of public comment and robust argument.
I am, however, concerned about the abuse hurled at anyone who suggests we should make changes to the way the city is run.
Let us consider some of the arguments:
Why should one person have all this power? What power? All councillors from all political parties will be responsible for setting the policy and the budget and for planning and licensing.
Will individual councillors lose their freedom? What freedom? Decisions are taken by senior members of the various parties and back-bench councillors are told how to vote.
Will decisions be taken in secret? A programme will be published four months in advance and all main meetings will be public.
Does the present system work well? A network of committees and sub-committees passes decision-making from one committee to another. An army of administrators produces papers, takes minutes, etc. Hard-pressed officers busy trying to look after this maze of committees ask for more time and defer items to the next cycle. A simple decision can take months. Think of the cost of all this.
Do we all seriously think we can continue to run our city with a system designed for a village and that any respected commercial organisation would consider such a system?
If we were being asked to support the idea of an elected chief executive and board of directors who would have to consult the shareholders, would there be so much opposition to the idea?
I urge you to take courage in both hands and vote yes.
-Ex-Councillor Frances Hix, Ship Street, Brighton
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