Leaders of the four parties on Brighton and Hove City Council are struggling with introducing a new version of the old committee system by next May.

They are implementing the result of a referendum in October which rejected the idea of a directly-elected mayor.

It is not an easy job because Brighton and Hove is a large authority with many functions, 78 councillors and a big budget.

Despite that, things were going well until the last meeting when Liberal Democrat leader Paul Elgood walked out because his proposal for neighbourhood forums was not on the agenda. These forums may be a good idea for devolving local democracy but they can be added to the system later.

The first priority is to get the main structure into place. That is complicated enough in itself. Councillor Elgood should come back to the table and make sure there is unity on the essentials.