DO YOU remember the pushmi-pullyu which featured in the Dr Dolittle children’s stories written by Hugh Lofting?

I was reminded of the imaginary beast by the farcical attempts of Brighton and Hove city councillors to set a council tax levy for the new financial year.

The pushmi-pullyu had heads at either end of its body so that if it wanted to go one way there would be a force compelling it to go the other way. It was unique but useless.

At a council meeting last week, each time a party produced a figure, the combined opposition forces were able to vote it down.

It was once said that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. A pushmi-pullyu is a horse designed by a council which has no overall control.

Local democracy can work when one party has an overall majority. But it does not cope well with minority administrations, no matter what party they are.

Labour and the Tories both had minority administrations before the Greens took over in 2011.

Conservatives have been divided over personalities for many years while the recent rancorous row in Moulsecoomb over who should stand showed Labour has its problems too.

But they are small compared with those of the Greens, who are split down the middle while two of their former councillors now sit as independents.

There was a lengthy stand off last year over council tax but this time it has been far worse, mainly because there will be local elections in a couple of months’ time.

Yet the irony is that few people vote in these contests, usually less than a third of those eligible. Hardly any citizens go to council meetings and even the local press normally pays scant attention to debates.

There seems to be no end to this impasse. Any of the three main parties might end up as the largest group after the elections and form a minority administration. But it is unlikely that one will achieve a working majority.

It matters because potential businesses that could benefit Brighton and Hove are unable to work with an unpredictable council that can change colour frequently.

The political squabbling is bad for the morale of the authority. Senior officers such as chief executive Penny Thompson have to spend valuable time dealing with difficult councillors when they should be trying to run the biggest organisation in the city.

Hastings, 40 miles east, is a dreadful example of what deadlock can do.

While Labour, Tories and the Lib Dems fought for 20 years, few firm decisions could be made and the resort became a ghost town.

Local democracy comes at a cost. Councillors who used to do the job free now claim more than a million pounds each year on allowances and expenses. More cash is spent on meetings and reports.

Yet much of the money for local services is provided by central government, which also severely restricts what councils can spend. If councils like Brighton and Hove fail to fix a figure, the Government will do it for them.

Despite all the drama over spending, most of the money goes on vital functions such as cleaning the streets or maintaining parks, over which there is little argument.

There is no proof that local functions run better under a democracy than without one. Over the years Brighton has lost control of services such as gas, water and justice with almost no protest or visible decline.

In 2001 the people of Brighton and Hove voted in a local referendum over whether there should be an elected mayor. The result was a resounding no.

Unfortunately the debate was bedevilled by personalities so that instead of voting on the principle, many people thought the issue was about possible contenders for the post such as Lord Bassam or Simon Fanshawe.

Elected mayors can be good for cities. Look at London under the control of Ken Livingstone and then Boris Johnson.

Both in their different ways have been symbols of the capital, nationally known figures with power and personality.

They have been able to help boost London so that its economy is bigger than that of many whole countries in Europe.

The elected mayor does not have to be a politician. In Bedford, a newspaper proprietor called Frank Branston was elected and in Middlesbrough Ray Mallon, a top police officer nicknamed Robocop was chosen.

The people of Brighton and Hove have only themselves to blame in voting for a system of government which has proved to be flawed instead of opting for an elected mayor who might revitalise the resort.

This dire debate about council tax has persuaded me I have as much chance of welcoming good local government to the city as I have of seeing a pushmi-pullyu.