Business leaders have called on the Greens to set aside ideology and work in partnership. Bosses in Brighton and Hove have told The Argus they want to establish a dialogue with the council’s incoming administration. They have vowed to work with the newly elected officials in the best interest of the local economy. The political underdogs became the largest single party in Brighton and Hove after Friday’s election in a victory that few pundits predicted. The Greens are now expected to form a minority administration.

Tony Mernagh, executive director at the Brighton and Hove Economic Partnership, said that party point-scoring must not take precedence over the needs of business. He said: “In its ten-year history the Economic Partnership has worked with administrations of every stripe. The colour of the rosette is irrelevant. “ Andrew Nichols, chairman of the Hove Business Association, called on the Greens to meet with business representatives to thrash out a way forward. He said: “I would hope we can work with the new council to promote business in the area. I want to start a dialogue as soon as possible so I want to get a meeting in the diary.

Claire Ottewell, chairman of the Tourism Alliance, said that the new council needs to cut red tape in order to get business moving. She said: “There’s lots of work to do in making Brighton more green but this needs to happen in harmony with the local business economy. “I Bill Randall, Green convenor, pledged to work positively with both large and small businesses. He said the city’s biggest employers had nothing to fear from a Green council.

Coun Randall said: “Major companies have left the city, when more could have been done to encourage them to stay. We want to encourage new businesses into the city and retain those we have already, and we want to work with businesses of all sizes to encourage and nurture sustainable growth in the city.”