A DEMONSTRATION against the "lack of transparent and democratic leadership" of the city council will take place on Friday.

Protesters will gather outside Hove Town Hall at 12.45 pm and cause disruption using whistles and drums, to demonstrate against the "mess" made by the Green Party since it came to power.

Organised by Brighton and Hove Citizens’ Action Group, the protesters will demonstrate against several key issues, including the reduction in parking spaces, the "war" against the motorist and the destruction of the 150-year-old green wall.

According to the group, Brighton and Hove City Council prioritises the views of minority cycling pressure groups, over the views of residents.

Spokeswoman Laura King said: “Our collaboration began during 2020 to address increasing concerns about the city council following the unlawful closure without notice of Madeira Drive and installation of pop-up cycle lanes in ill-thought-out locations.

“These sites often already had two-way cycle lanes and the new cycle lanes took out whole lane sections of roads, discriminating against the disabled, impeding emergency vehicles and interfering with the smooth running of our city by creating unnecessary gridlock and pollution.

“Public anger has been rising in the last few months and we are not willing to accept any of this, nor do we need our lives experimented on through so-called ‘experimental’ traffic orders when the city is on its knees economically post-Covid and many citizens have lost their livelihoods.

"This Green-controlled city council has made such a mess of so many issues that it is time for ordinary citizens to stand up and say no and make it clear they will not tolerate any more of this nonsense in their name from a body with a legal obligation to act as public servant to us.”

It comes months after mourners gathered to pay their respects to part of Europe’s oldest and longest green wall that had been cut down by the city council.

Dozens of people gathered at the bottom of Dukes Mound last month to protest against the "destruction" of the green wall.

Mourners listened to passionate speeches that called on council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty to resign, before laying a wreath at the base of the structure.

In March, council officials slashed the living wall in Madeira Drive, which was planted by the Victorians and is a wildlife reserve.

Elected representatives were not told about the plans to cut down the Japanese Spindle, which campaigners said took place during nesting season.

The city council later apologised and said: “We’d like to apologise to our residents for the way we went about cutting back the stretch of green wall at the bottom of Duke’s Mound.

“It should not have been cut down in this way. We are very sorry about this, and an investigation is underway to find out how this happened.

“What is clear is that only minimal cutting back should have occurred, but we accept that we cut back much further than was necessary and that this should not have happened to a Local Wildlife Site.

“We are going to undertake a detailed investigation into how this happened, and how the Local Wildlife Site status (which was acknowledged at the planning stage) was not properly noted or considered as the detailed designs were worked up.”