A long-serving Green councillor has been chosen to serve as the new mayor of Brighton and Hove.
Lizzie Deane, 66, took over from Labour councillor Alan Robins, 65, at the annual mayor-making at Brighton Town Hall this afternoon (Thursday 26 May).
Councillor Deane had been due to become deputy mayor, taking over from Conservative councillor Mary Mears, 74, who was expected to take over as mayor.
But Councillor Mears, a former leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, was unable to take on the role because of ill health.
The Conservatives nominated Councillor Dawn Barnett, 80, but the Greens and Labour refused to back her, prompting the Tories to boycott the “annual council” meeting today.
In the wood-panelled council chamber, the current leader of the council, Phélim Mac Cafferty, said: “I have the great honour today of proposing my colleague and friend Councillor Lizzie Deane for mayor of Brighton and Hove 2022-23.
“Councillor Deane has been a councillor since 2010. She was able to take the seat when our good friend Keith Taylor became an MEP, causing a by-election.
“Since then, she has been a terrific champion for the St Peter’s and North Laine communities and a fantastic councillor.
“Lizzie started as she meant to go on after winning the seat, with her maiden speech campaigning to save the Bright Start nursery in the ward, which Lizzie and campaigners saved against cuts proposed at the time.
“With the first Green administration in 2011, we chaired the two principle quasi-judicial committees – Lizzie Licensing, myself Planning.
“Lizzie went on to become one of the deputy leaders, me the other. It was a frenetic time with, I seem to recall, an inordinate amount of rushing between King’s House, the council’s old offices, on the seafront, and Hove Town Hall.
“It was during one of these commutes that myself and Lizzie were to discover, with her characteristic laugh, that for every one of my steps, Lizzie had to take six.
“But please don’t mistake physical size for stature in the city or the esteem in which she is held across the council.
“Lizzie has consistently topped the poll citywide in every election and currently holds the record number of votes with over 5,000 in 2015.
“Most of us would most readily associate Lizzie with her sterling work on the Licensing Committee and countless licencing panels.
“I know she is always thoughtful and conscientious in listening to all of the evidence and putting the city and residents first.
“And as such, I know she will use those skills with great flair, meeting our city’s many diverse and wonderful communities over the next 12 months.
“Lizzie has remained on the Licensing Committee and an endless supply of panels for the entire 12 years she has been a councillor. Quite honestly, people get less time for murder!
“Lizzie has a strong record of helping residents in a city centre ward, which is often fraught with difficulty. A strong advocate for the independent traders of the beautiful North Laine, she stands strong for the residents of West Hill.
“Her fixation on her work in the ward and, on one street in particular, saw full council minutes in 2017 refer to her as ‘Councillor Surrey Street’.
“Councillor Deane’s chosen charities speak to her broad interests outside the council chamber, with the fate of people and planet in her heart: Off the Fence, Fareshare, the countryside charity CPRE, the New Note Orchestra, Martlets, Team Domenica, the Brighton Fringe, the Sussex Heart Charity and All Sorts.
“Councillor Deane has as her consort Henry Bruce, who has been her partner for the last 30 years.
“To Henry, be assured, that among the Green group of councillors, we are proud of your partner, our councillor colleague and her success getting here.
“Appropriately Lizzie has Fr Dominic Keech from Brighton’s mother church, St Nicholas of Myra, as the Mayor’s Chaplain.
“St Nick’s is the oldest place of worship in the city, having a reference in the Domesday book. It’s in St Peter’s and North Laine ward and it’s also one of the most beautiful and a treasure trove of Brighton’s history.
“In the past decade I’ve been all over the country with Lizzie as we’re both Local Government Association peers and in that time I have got to know her as hardworking.
“She will be firm but fair as our mayor. She is pretty fearless but she’s also a great laugh too.
“Lizzie will be an absolutely brilliant advocate and bring her many attributes to bear for the good of the city.
“She will undertake the civic functions of the city’s ‘first citizen’ both with the seriousness and dedication they deserve.”
Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn, another former chair of the council’s Licensing Committee, was elected to serve as deputy mayor for the coming year.
Shoehorned in. As a former constituent of hers I would say, Lizzie Dean who’s never seen.
Not-too-busy-Lizzie
Well deserved Lizzie & what a fabulous tribute from Phelim.
Fixed…
Everything about this stinks !
Much better than the toxic Councillor Barnett
Adam doesn’t sound as though he lives in the Ward, nor does Hove Guy. Lizzie Deane is a hard-working, kind, decent Ward Councillor, and hopefully she will be an asset as Mayor. It’s a shame, though, that people like Gareth, who doesn’t have the courage to give his surname, is so rude about Dawn Barnett. It’s his lack of tolerance and respect that I find toxic.
Lived under the jackboot of Phelim and his cronies until we had the opportunity to escape. Lizzie was never more than a paper candidate who got lucky.
How do we know that yours is your real name?
According to research by Money.co.uk, Brighton and Hove Council was among the worst in Sussex for council tax value, with the worst percentage of recycled waste in the county. Judging by their appalling treatment of Dawn Barnett, they are not just totally incompetent, but also devious and corrupt.