There were cheers in the Brighton Centre when the result was announced at the referendum to decide whether to have a directly-elected mayor.

But the city council now has real problems in putting into effect what electors decided as the alternative.

Brighton and Hove will be unique in going back to a system recently rejected by most other authorities in the country.

It is likely to have at least five policy committees and another one dealing with matters such as licensing and planning.

But, on top of that, the Government will insist on another six or so scrutiny committees keeping an eye on the work being carried out. There will also be a standards committee to see councillors are kept on the straight and narrow and there could be several area committees or neighbourhood forums.

It's just what Allies for Democracy, the all-party campaign group which ran the No campaign, wanted.

Joint chairman Francis Tonks, a Labour councillor who liked the old committee system, believes it will be fair and democratic.

He believes it will be possible to co-opt people on to each main committee representing key organisations and people, as already happens on the planning committee.

Coun Tonks, with the agreement of Tory, Green and Lib Dem councillors, wants the authority to get on with introducing the system as soon as possible, perhaps within two or three months.

But he may have to wait. By law, the council has to consult further on the committee proposals before sending them in to the Government by February 2002.

It is unlikely that anything could be put into action before the new municipal year starts in May 2002.

Lib Dem leader Paul Elgood wants an emergency council meeting but it is more likely that the way forward will be discussed at the next full council meeting on Thursday.

He would like to see a series of neighbourhood forums devolving power to the people as already happens in some other authorities such as York.

Green convenor Keith Taylor believes it will be possible to agree a committee system suitable for the 21st Century.

He said: "Powers will now rest with the council rather than with the members of the Labour Cabinet."

Lord Bassam of Brighton said it could be hard for strategic vision to shine through a complicated committee system and for the momentum Brighton and Hove had achieved to be maintained.

He asked how committees would be able to make the important decisions soon needed on the Brighton Centre, a community stadium at Falmer, better transport links and refuse and waste.

Lord Bassam, a former council leader, also gave a warning to his old colleagues in the Labour Party and said: "This is a very worrying result for them.

"The campaign was spearheaded and led by the Greens. Labour has to rediscover its community campaign grassroots style which was successful in the Eighties and Nineties.

"There could be a real problem in retaining some city centre seats in the 2003 elections."

He said the Labour group, currently split into mainstream and rebels, would have to reunite around current leader Ken Bodfish. MPs would encourage councillors to look around and take up community issues.

Tory leader Brian Oxley said: "This is the first real setback for the ruling Labour group. There is a real crack in it now.

"Divisions have been exposed in its ranks. One of the leaders of the No campaign was a Labour councillor."

That councillor, Francis Tonks, would not be drawn on whether the ruling Labour group had effectively lost power.

But it is clear that under this new system, many important decisions will be made by the council rather than the single-party Cabinet.

This means the opposition councillors, plus Labour rebels, can consistently win votes.

Lord Bassam was widely seen as the most likely winner, had there been a vote for a directly-elected mayor.

But the Labour peer said he genuinely had not decided whether to put his name forward.

He added: "I already have a job which I enjoy."

Did the Yes campaign lose because he was too involved with it?

Lord Bassam said: "Personal attacks were made without foundation. I could have sued but I'm not that sort of person."

But if Lord Bassam, a dominant figure in council politics for two decades, had thought of a comeback that door is now closed.

Rebel Labour councillor Kevin Allen said: "It is the end of the Bassam era," while his old adversary, Tony Greenstein, could hardly conceal his glee.

Coun Oxley said the day would go down in local history and said: "It has shown how sick people were of the Bassam era."

Now there will have to be a lot of talk over how the new committee system will run but it will be nothing compared with the volume of words once the committees come into being.