Conservatives confirm Brighton & Hove City Council takeover bid

The Conservatives are hoping to take control of Brighton & Hove City Council after a Labour defection gave them the majority on the local authority.
Cllr Tony Janio is leader of the Conservatives on Brighton and Hove City CouncilCllr Tony Janio is leader of the Conservatives on Brighton and Hove City Council
Cllr Tony Janio is leader of the Conservatives on Brighton and Hove City Council

Cllr Tony Janio, leader of the Conservatives in the city, said he was meeting with the local authority's chief executive Geoff Raw this afternoon to 'discuss the future'.

This comes after Cllr Anne Meadows, who represents Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, switched from Labour to the Conservatives this morning (February 20).

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This means the Tories have 21 councillors while Labour has 20.

Cllr Mary Mears and Cllr Anne Meadows at Brighton Kemptown Conservative AssociationCllr Mary Mears and Cllr Anne Meadows at Brighton Kemptown Conservative Association
Cllr Mary Mears and Cllr Anne Meadows at Brighton Kemptown Conservative Association

The Conservatives said the move 'will change the dynamics of how the council will be run until the elections on the May 2'.

The takeover bid comes just months before the council elections in May 2019, when all 54 seats will be up for grabs.

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Cllr Janio said: "We'll see the chief executive this afternoon and see how he intends to take this forward."

He said he hopes to 'talk about the administration for the next eight weeks and then getting our budget through'.

He said: "Labour's budget lacks imagination. We have amendments we have put forward which we think shows imagination."

But Cllr Janio added: "Today is all about Anne Meadows and the way she has been treated by the left. This is a big move for Anne."

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He said the move was down to 'the dreadful way the Momentum caucus in her ward have treated her'.

Cllr Meadows was not reselected to stand in her Moulsecoomb and Bevendean ward for Labour in the upcoming May 2019 council elections. Instead Corbyn-supporting candidates were selected to stand.

She will now stand in the ward under the Conservative Party.

Brandon Lewis, Conservative MP for Great Yarmouth, announced the move this morning and said that Cllr Meadows 'has been a dedicated councillor in Brighton & Hove since 1994' but he claimed she has been 'driven out' by alleged antisemitism.

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Cllr Janio said: "It is saying to the public this can't go on and it's not the way we do politics.

"It has been horrible for her and her husband. This move was done for the best of reasons."

Cllr Meadows said: “I am delighted that I have been so warmly accepted into the Conservative family, having spent most of my life as a Labour member and councillor.

"Leaving the Labour Party was not an easy decision for me, but today’s Labour party is not one I recognise, nor the one I joined many years ago.

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"I want to continue to represent residents in Moulsecoomb and Bevendean in the most effective way possible, and I believe to achieve this it has to be as a Conservative councillor.”

Cllr Mary Mears, chairman of Brighton Kemptown Conservatives, said: “I have known Anne for many years on Brighton and Hove City Council and have seen how hard and determined she is in representing her residents.

"I know that we are gaining a very hard working and well-respected councillor throughout the city, and look forward to working with Anne to improve the lives of all who live in Brighton and Hove.”

A Brighton & Hove City Council spokesperson said: "Councillor Anne Meadows has announced today that she is leaving the Labour Group and joining the Conservative Group. This changes the balance of seats held on the council.

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"The current political leadership arrangements continue for now. Under our constitution, any change in leadership can only take effect following a decision at a meeting of the Full Council when all currently elected councillors agree who forms the administration and who is voted to be leader of the council. Councillors decide whether and at which meeting the business is discussed.

"Subject to the will of councillors, the day to day operation of services to the public will remain unchanged in the short term. Council officers will continue to use their delegated powers to ensure a consistent service."More stories: Prime Minister welcomes Brighton Labour councillor to Conservatives after defection