A public consultation exercise has begun on proposals to cut the number of councillors and re-draw the ward boundaries across Brighton and Hove.

The draft scheme proposed by Brighton and Hove Council will reduce the number of councillors from 78 to 64 following an electoral review by the Local Government Commission.

The proposals will also cut four wards from the area leaving 20 wards of three members and two wards of two members, Woodingdean and Portslade South.

Council officers insist this is the only way to maintain around 60 councillors while achieving electoral equality by which each councillor represents a similar number of constituents.

The consultation was launched yesterday and will continue until September 11 and the comments will discussed by the committee in October before final approval by the full council on October 19.

Leaflets will be going out to every household and the plans will be made available for inspection.

The proposals were strongly criticised by the opposition parties at a meeting of the committee last night.

Geoffrey Theobald, Conservative group leader, announced his group had come up with an alternative scheme for 54 councillors. He insisted the proposal being suggested by Labour did not meet the criteria set by the commission.

He said: "One of the most important things is retaining our communities and this proposal divides Patcham and Woodingdean.

"Our scheme retains communities and will save council tax payers more than £100,000."

Paul Elgood, Lib Dem group leader, said: "We should be respecting natural communities but this affects Woodingdean, splitting it in two. It also splits Brunswick Terrace and crosses the boundaries between Brighton and Hove which have been there for hundreds of years."

But Labour councillor Ian Duncan said: "When are we going to see these plans of theirs? The Lib Dems and Conservatives should have got in on this at an earlier stage."

Coun Sue John added: "We have made every attempt to include these communities but we have to address issues of parity."

The draft was approved by 11 votes to nine.