The number could be up for a £100,000 car registration plate.

Brighton and Hove City Council owns the CD 1 number plate which came from the old Brighton Borough Council when the mayor had the use of a Rolls-Royce.

The number plate adorns a seven-seater Seat leased by the council to take Mayor Bob Carden to official functions.

A Bedfordshire-based number plate dealer, Registration Transfers, is prepared to offer £75,000 for the CD 1 plate.

It said it would hope to sell it for more than £100,000. But taxpayers are calling on the council to sell the plate to pay for front line services.

Builder Andrew Wall, 32, of Overdown Rise, Portslade, said: "I have no problem with Bob Carden. He is a lovely guy and it's not his fault the council has been sitting on this little gold mine for years.

"I've got a private number plate, AWM169, which I bought four years ago for £440. It doesn't age the vehicle and I can see why people buy number plates. But when the council tax keeps going up it's a different story.

"They could sell it and reduce the council tax bill or pay for a few more teachers or police officers. If people at the council were drinking out of gold goblets I would have a problem with that as well."

CD were the original letters assigned to Brighton in the early days of motoring.

The council still owns another number plate, H2 OVE, bought by the former Hove Borough Council, but has sold the mayoral limousine to which it was attached.

Four years ago there were moves to sell both that and the CD 1 plate to raise money to avoid having to cut services.

Green councillor Keith Taylor said at the time they were worth £50,000 on the open market but his proposal to sell them was rejected at a special council meeting.

On hearing CD 1 was now worth at least £100,000, Coun Taylor said there was no question it should be sold.

He said: "Given the chance of having a customised plate or three more social workers I know what I would choose. What's the big deal about a plate? If someone is daft enough to pay £100,000 for it, let's get rid of it. It would be better to use the money for frontline services than massage some civic ego. Queen's Park has not had a youth worker for years. Or we could use the money to put in public toilets at Blakers Park."

Coun Carden insisted the number plate was an asset that should not be sold.

He said: "Other mayors have flash limousines. Instead of having a Rolls Royce or Daimler or Jaguar, we lease a modest vehicle. The number plate itself is an asset. The council is not wasting money.

"I've already covered almost 200 engagements in two months in that car. That number plate gives prestige to the town. When people ask me what CD stands for, I tell them 'civic dignitary'. I'm very proud Brighton and Hove has this number plate."