Bemusement has spread through a city suburb after the area was wiped off the electoral ward map.

Hollingbury, which is home to more than 2,500 Brighton residents and the headquarters of The Argus, has had its name axed from Brighton and Hove City Council's official list of constituencies.

People in the neighbourhood are baffled by the controversial decision – particularly because it came from a council consultation designed to make its wards more representative.

Hollingbury Residents Association chairman Peter Arnott-Job said: "People in Hollingbury are a little bit bewildered.

"People have been working quite hard over the last few years within the community to build its identity, and this doesn't help us."

Barmaid Jane Mansfield, from the County Oak Pub, in County Oak Avenue, Hollingbury, added: "It isn't fair at all, why shouldn't Hollingbury be included?"

The decision to scrap the name was taken by the council at a meeting last week.

Until last year there was a ward called Hollingbury and Stanmer which, confusingly, did not include the actual Hollingbury neighbourhood. The council changed its name to Hollingdean and Stanmer to make it more accurate.

As a result people in Hollingbury and local councillors asked for the name of Patcham ward, which actually contains the community, to be changed to Patcham and Hollingbury.

The proposal was supported by Labour and Liberal Democrats but voted out by the Conservatives on the council, while Green councillors abstained.

Council staff had recommended it should be refused after a consultation of the 14,000 residents in the ward showed 39 were in favour of the change while 63 were against.

Patcham Conservative councillor Geoffrey Theobald, who lives in the neighbouring Withdean ward, spoke against changing the long-established name.

The decision will not affect people in Hollingbury's right to vote, or any other council services, but has upset residents.

Councillor Jeane Lepper, who argued in favour of its inclusion, said: "A lot of the ward names used were set by the boundary commission 30 or 40 years ago and haven't changed when the boundaries have subsequently changed. A lot don't represent the areas very well now."

At the same meeting the council agreed to change the name of the Stanford ward in Hove to Hove Park, to make it easier for residents to identify the area.