Jason Kitcat to become new council leader

Councillor Jason Kitcat is set to become the new leader of Brighton and Hove City Council after the cabinet member for finance was announced as the only candidate to replace Cllr Bill Randall in the post.

Cllr Randall, who as Convenor of the Green Party in Brighton and Hove spearheaded the local election success in 2011, is stepping down as group leader and from his position as leader of the council to become city mayor in May.

His party has confirmed that the only candidate is Cllr Kitcat, who represents the Regency ward with his wife Ania as the other sitting councillor.

Ania Kitcat joined his husband, who was at the time best known for being involved in a dispute after placing footage of a council meeting on YouTube in 2010, in the ward in last year’s elections.

Cllr Kitcat has been the most talked about councillor during the Green Party’s first year in charge of the city as he has been in charge of finance and consequently budget setting, which has included the much-debated 3.5% rise in council tax.

While Cllr Kitcat stands unopposed a reshuffle for the positions of deputy convenor for internal and external relations is being contested.

Cllr Ian Davey is standing down as Deputy Convenor of internal relations and will be replaced by Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, Cllr Lizzie Deane and Cllr Christina Summers.

Cllr Amy Kennedy‘s post of Deputy Convenor of external relations is also up for grabs with Cllr Ben Duncan standing for post against Cllr Phelim Mac Cafferty in a job share with Cllr Kennedy.

All candidates face election by secret ballot, which uses an electoral college system of equal votes awarded to Brighton and Hove Green Party and the Green group of councillors.

The results of the ballot will be announced on Sunday 4th March, while the new positions will be presented for formal election at the Annual Council meeting on Thursday 17th May.

A statement from the Green Party said: “The results of the ballot will be announced on the afternoon of Sunday March 4th, 2012. This will allow plenty of time for successful candidates, especially if new to their forthcoming posts, to shadow the present leadership team before taking up office themselves.

“The new Green Leader, Deputy Leaders and Mayor will be proposed for formal election at the city’s Annual Council on Thursday May 17th. The present Deputy Leaders, Cllrs Amy Kennedy and Ian Davey, will step down on that day, as will the present council Leader, Cllr Bill Randall, who has been selected by the Greens and confirmed by the other parties to serve from then for a year as Mayor.”

Related Posts:

• Greens unveil debut council cabinet
• Brighton and Hove’s new look council
• Pride: Council leader celebrates ‘defining moment of the city’s calendar’
• Argus editor consults lawyers after paper described as ‘local rag’
• Greens select nine LGBT candidates for local elections

Posted by Joseph Lewis on February 18, 2012. Filed under Brighton and Hove News,Council News,Featured,Green Party. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry