The Lib Dems have added to Brighton and Hove Council's modernisation woes by walking out on a key all-party committee.

They turned their backs on the council's modernisation task group, accusing the ruling Labour group of trampling on the wishes of other councillors.

Councillors from all parties sit on the one-year-old task group, charged with overseeing modernisation initiatives such as one-party Cabinet rule. But Paul Elgood, leader of the council's three-strong Lib Dem group, said Labour was only interested in pursuing its own plans.

He said: "The whole thing is a complete whitewash because they are not listening to anyone but themselves.

"I am angry at the way we have been treated. There has been no attempt to build any kind of consensus."

The walkout comes three months after opposition parties and Labour rebels joined forces and voted 34 to 31 to scrap the experiment with Cabinet-style rule.

A move to replace the Cabinet with three or four all-party 'super-committees' was subsequently defeated.

The council was one of the first in the country to adopt a Cabinet, in which councillors from one party make decisions while being policed by a number of watchdog committees.

The system has been heavily criticised by opposition parties, who are excluded from decision-making, and by backbench councillors who feel left out.

Cabinets are backed by the Government and a new Act will force large councils like Brighton and Hove to adopt Cabinets or make similar arrangements.

Senior Labour councillor Ken Bodfish dismissed Mr Elgood's accusations and said the Lib Dems were being "naive and unrealistic".

He said: "They seem to be walking out on everything nowadays. If they were interested in good government they would participate."