A year ago Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat ruled out a council tax referendum.

He said this: “The referendum rule is mad. It’s not really workable and would cost about £300,000 to run. It would be held after council tax bills were sent out, possibly leading to fresh bills being printed and posted.”

He said that even the Electoral Commission had been critical of the referendum process in relation to council tax rises. He said: “Council tax is a very poor form of taxation. It’s not particularly fair.”

A year on and suddenly Coun Kitcat is now an enthusiastic supporter of a referendum.

As Tim Ridgway’s comment (The Argus, January 17) says, the move is “aimed well and truly at the Labour Party” rather than any realistic attempt to deal with the cuts being imposed by the Government.

Put simply, the Greens could not decide how to deal with the hard choices they are presented with so they have given up the job they were elected to do and handed the responsibility to others. They should go now.

The Labour group has moved a motion of no confidence in the Green council leadership.

Coun Kitcat might be able to afford the tax rise but, with one in three now struggling with debt (The Argus, January 14), thousands cannot afford it.

As David Cameron takes £25 million out of the council’s budget each year, the Labour Group will do all it can to protect services. But, unlike the Greens, we will not make Brighton and Hove residents pay for the Tories’ cuts.

Councillor Warren Morgan, leader of the Labour and Co-operative group, Brighton and Hove City Council