GREEN councillors joined Conservatives to lay the blame for delays to the King Alfred redevelopment at the Labour administration’s door.

The motion put forward by Conservative Councillor Robert Nemeth formally censured the Labour administration, asked for a named councillor to oversee the project and called on the authority to maximise affordable housing on the site.

Brighton and Hove City Council named Crest Nicholson as the approved developer to build a leisure centre and homes to replace the King Alfred in January 2016, but no deal has been signed.

Speaking at the full council meeting on Thursday, Councillor Nemeth said: “The King Alfred is Hove’s biggest-ever site scheme.

“No one who is accountable is immersed in it, driving it, chasing it and scrutinising it.”

He suggested the chairman of the Tourism, Development and Culture Committee as the ideal candidate but Councillor Alan Robins was not a member of the King Alfred Project Board or the Strategic Delivery Board.

The King Alfred Project Board has not met since 2016, which Councillor Nemeth attributed to “difficult” questions asked by him and Green Councillor Tom Druitt.

After describing Crest Nicholson as a “ruthless business focused solely on profit” Councillor Nemeth said: “The situation as it is, is scandalous.

“There should have been a deal in place when they were picked. This is exactly the sort of thing that should have been made clear.”

Central Hove Labour Councillor Clare Moonan described herself as speaking on behalf of her community, as the King Alfred is in her ward.

She reminded councillors the current plans were one of several developed over the years.

Councillor Moonan said: “Councillor Nemeth says why isn’t there a lead member, if there was a lead member he would be saying, why isn’t it cross party, or which committee does it go to.

“If it was under a committee he’d be saying why isn’t it under a cross party project board.

“Whatever we’ve got he doesn’t want it, he wants something else. Let’s stop focusing on the process, let’s solve the problem.”

Council leader, Labour Councillor Daniel Yates said: “Nobody comes out of the last three-and-a-half years as shining but no one comes out of the last thee and a half decades with a shiny look.”

The final deadline for Crest Nicholson to sign up to the £400 million project to build a new leisure centre with a swimming pool, basement parking and housing, is January 31.