Tenant reps and politicians responded angrily to what they said was the undemocratic way that the chair of a council housing panel was changed without a vote.
Two candidates each had four nominations but, instead of holding a vote, officials decided the result behind the scenes.
One residents’ representative walked out of the Brighton and Hove City Council housing panel meeting last night (Monday 3 June) and others voiced their anger.
They were upset that new East Brighton Labour councillor Nikkie Brennan was appointed to chair the East Area Housing Panel before the meeting had even started.
Until the local council elections on Thursday 2 May, Rottingdean Coastal Conservative councillor Mary Mears chaired the panel.
Both councillors were put forward, with four nominations each.
Assistant director of housing Martin Reid said that the decision had been made by the council’s Democratic Services Team.
Councillors were told yesterday afternoon that Councillor Brennan would chair the quarterly panel.
The panel met at the Vale Community Centre, in Hadlow Close, last night.
Woodingdean Conservative councillor Dee Simson criticised the way that the situation was dealt with after Manor Farm Tenants and Residents Association rep Lyn Bennet walked out in anger.
She said: “It’s a shame it wasn’t communicated with tenants reps this afternoon at the same time as it was to councillors, then they wouldn’t be coming in and be so shocked by what’s happened, which they obviously are.
“The error is in miscommunication. At least they could have come in knowing what has happened.”
Councillor Simson said that she was annoyed that there had been no vote but instead the numbers were anticipated from the nominations.
And Councillor Mears, a former leader of the council, was critical of the way that the process was handled.
She told Mr Reid that housing panels had run since 1997 and the chairs were always elected by councillors and tenant representatives.
She said: “For the last four years under a Labour administration, the panels were done as they were done.
