The decision by voters to reject the idea of a directly-elected mayor marked a sad day for Brighton and Hove.

Members of Allies for Democracy, which ran the No campaign, were gleeful at the decisive result.

What this rabble, including disenchanted and disenfranchised politicians and no hopers, did was to indulge in an ugly campaign of fear and character assassination.

They created the illusion of an elected mayor being a costly, undemocratic monster and frightened many people into rejecting the idea.

Because of this fierce and unjustified attack, the Yes campaign was occasionally brought down to the same level.

Prominent in the No campaign were the kind of Left-wingers who have learnt nothing since bringing the Labour Party to its knees 20 years ago until it rejected them and made itself electable.

They have allied with many Tories who are in disarray nationally and ineffective locally, and the Greens, who have never run anything in their lives.

This sorry coalition has now landed the council in a quagmire of committees and meetings which will hamper its efforts to tackle urgent problems.

A mass of talking shops will not easily keep up the success created by the city campaign, or find solutions to poverty, deprivation and the crisis in homelessness.

Committees will be costly, time wasting, bureaucratic and boring. They will be dominated by pompous plonkers who like the sound of their own voices.

The city mayor would have been a dynamic figure able to act for Brighton and Hove speedily and effectively.

Now the city reverts to the archaic committee system which will, mark our words, simply produce little fiefdoms for councillors full of the sense of their own importance.

The No campaign vilified businesses backing the city mayor. They are enterprises such as Donatello restaurant in the Lanes, a highly successful firm which gives a great deal to the community.

They were knocking Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company which is getting people around the city in the way few other companies are managing in the UK. They were hammering The Argus whose commitment to the community during 121 years cannot be doubted.

A city mayor would have been good for business and that would have been good for the community too. A city needs successful businesses which will liaise with the council and there's nothing wrong with that.

Instead the campaign has been won by people who don't know how to run a chip shop yet alone a council with 7,000 employees and a budget of millions.

It was a big backward step for Brighton and Hove. Those with ability and the city's true interests in heart will really struggle to make this system work.