It is the second time that the Green Party has been in power in Brighton and Hove, having run the council from May 2011 to May 2015.
The leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, Phélim Mac Cafferty, was first elected when his party took office in 2011. He was re-elected in Brunswick and Adelaide ward in 2015 and last year.
Councillor Mac Cafferty will chair the council’s most important committee, the Policy and Resources Committee, as well as the Policy and Resources (Recovery) Sub-Committee.
He will serve as the council’s lead member on the Greater Brighton Economic Board.
Councillor David Gibson and Councillor Tom Druitt will share the role of finance lead on the Policy and Resources Committee.
The 19 councillors in the Green group have formed a minority administration because the council has 54 members in all.
No party is able to form a majority all the Greens are now the largest group. Labour has 18 councillors, the Conservatives have 13 and four councillors sit as independents.
Green councillors will chair all the policy-making committees as well as the Planning Committee, the Licensing Committee and the Health and Wellbeing Board.
The two new deputy leaders of the council are Hannah Clare, who was newly elected in Brunswick and Adelaide ward last year, and Sue Shanks, who is in her second spell as a councillor.
Councillor Shanks won a seat in Withdean ward from the Conservatives in 2011 and served as a cabinet member for children and young people before chairing the Children and Young People Committee when the “committee system” replaced the “cabinet system” in Brighton and Hove.
She won a seat back on the council last year and represents St Peter’s and North Laine ward.
Councillor Clare is the new chair of the Children, Young People and Skills Committee, replacing Labour deputy leader John Allcock.
Councillor Shanks will chair the Health and Wellbeing Board, having been her party’s leading member of the board for the past year.
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Committee chairs
The Greens have appointed joint chairs for three policy-making committees.
David Gibson and Siriol Hugh-Jones will chair the Housing Committee, with Alex Phillips as their deputy.
Pete West and Amy Heley will chair the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, with Jamie Lloyd as deputy chair.
Marianna Ebel and Steph Powell will chair the Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee, with Clare Rainey as deputy chair.
Lizzie Deane will chair the Licensing Committee – role she previously held when the Greens were last in office – and Steve Davis will be her deputy.
Leo Littman will chair the Planning Committee, with Martin Osborne as deputy chair.
Former Labour council leader Daniel Yates is expected to chair the Audit and Standards Committee and his Labour colleague Amanda Evans is expected to chair the Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The membership of the various policy, regulatory and scrutiny committees has yet to be announced.
Currently, Councillor Bridget Fishleigh, who was elected as an independent, and the former Conservative leader Tony Janio, who has since become an independent, sit on the Planning Committee only.
And guess what – none of the councillors are actually from Brighton/Hove, they are typical blow-ins. Probably DFLs.
Not a surprise, just like most MP’s around the country also “blow-in” from other areas, it’s not new.
Councillor Shanks will chair the Health and Wellbeing Board. Let’s hope she can sort out the blatant COVID legislation violations at the Central Hove Hostels that BHCC has ignored to date. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/hotels-and-other-guest-accommodation
Leo Littman will chair the Planning Committee. Let’s hope Leo can sort out the very convenient “blind eye turning” when it comes to planning violations by Central Hove Hostels.
Both matters require thorough investigation.