CONGRATULATIONS to Councillor Gill Mitchell and her colleagues on becoming the country’s first Labour and Co-operative Party Council Group.

Our city has an important history of co-ops dating from the Brighton Co-operative Benevolent Fund Association and the Brighton Co-operative Trading Association in West Street, both set up in 1827.

While a local Labour and Co-operative Party MP, I was pleased to support the many changes in the law made from 1997-2010 under Labour, which strengthened the legal status of co-ops, mutuals, credit unions and social enterprises and increased their role in society.

Having a voice on the council for the sector is an important step in the city’s long co-operative history.

David Lepper, Labour and Co-operative Party MP for Brighton Pavilion 1997-2010, Ditchling Road, Brighton

AS THE dust settles on the local elections, it would be foolish not to recognise the Greens’ incredible result. I congratulate them on that and wish them well in difficult times ahead.

It has been pointed out however that, citywide, the Greens recorded the same number of votes as Labour, but won ten more council seats. The Conservatives won the fewest votes of all three parties, but more seats than Labour.

Labour’s vote increased significantly in all 21 of the city’s wards, in most cases by 350 to 500 votes. In any previous local election this kind of performance would have been enough to win.

However, as with last year’s general election, where Labour finished a close second in all three constituencies and in the citywide vote, our electoral system does not reward second place or, in the case of local elections, third or fourth.

Labour candidates were within 150 to 200 votes of winning extra seats in Goldsmid, Hangleton, Hollingdean, Preston Park, Queens Park, Westbourne and Wish.

Another 1,200 votes in the right wards would have secured another seven seats for Labour, leaving them as the largest party.

I don’t mean to minimise the Greens’ success, but ask that anyone thinking of writing off Labour as an electoral force in Brighton and Hove should consider these facts.

Councillor Warren Morgan, Labour & Co-operative, East Brighton