Opponents of plans to have a directly-elected mayor in Brighton and Hove think they have found the way to get the council run the way they want.

If people vote against the mayor in May and the council finds there is big support for the old committee system, it could return and replace the current system of a leader with a Cabinet.

They are trying to exploit a little-known provision of the Local Government Act which allows committees as a fall back option for big councils but only if the other proposal is beaten.

It would be a backward step in more ways than one. The old system of running councils was creaking, cumbersome andbureaucratic. Councillors took months to make decisions and they weren't always right.

Even if a new system was introduced with fewer, larger committees, through Parkinson's law they would spread and multiply within a year or two.

A directly-elected mayor would be a focal point for the new city, reviving interest in local government. He or she should be a dynamic character, capable of taking quick decisions.

There should still be local councillors representing the interests of each ward and keeping a wary eye on the mayor to make sure powers were not exceeded and decisions were taken in public.

Having committees which are glorified talking shops would bring Brighton and Hove back into the 19th Century instead of pushing the city forward.