The Brighton and Hove referendum is not just about an elected mayor, it is about a mayor and cabinet.

Every local council has a "cabinet" at its centre, with members of the ruling party making all the key decisions.

The referendum will decide what sort of cabinet runs Brighton and Hove.

If the result is a No vote, we will return to the old system, where an unofficial one-party cabinet, comprising the leader and committee chairs, met in secret to decide the direction of the council.

These decisions would then be put to the committees as "recommendations" to be rubber-stamped by those councillors present in a spectacle bewildering to the public.

If Brighton and Hove votes Yes, the cabinet will, by law, be required to meet in public session to make its decisions.

Also by law, it must for the first time give the reasons for its decisions. The public will know which councillor is responsible for a decision and that councillor won't be able to hide away saying "the committee decided it".

Which type of cabinet do you want? It's your choice.

-Coun John Warmington, Regency ward, Brighton and Hove City Council