Angered to hear that the Conservatives on the Council have been trying to drop the transport chapter in the Sustainable Communities Strategy.

The key suggestion of this paper, backed by Green, Labour and LibDem councillors, was to reduce traffic in the centre of town - something many Brighton residents agree is a crucial priority.

Lewes Road, for example, sees some 30 million cars pass through it each year, undermining air quality and contributing to noise pollution.

The transport chapter that the Conservatives were so keen to keep out was drawn up by the transport partnership, which is made up of interested stakeholders, such as those from bus companies and cycling groups, and chaired by the Conservative Cllr Geoffrey Theobold.

Yet it was the Conservatives who called for a separate vote on the transport chapter, which they then abstained from voting on.

It is extraordinary that Cllr Theobold is allowed to chair such a group, and then publicly demonstrate that he does not support sustainable transport or the findings of the partnership.

The Conservatives have made themselves extremely clear on this - they are not a party who care about sustainable transport.

Ironic, as the release of a recent Parliamentary Report shows that air quality has not been seen as a Government priority either, and that targets will not be met without a significant shift in transport policy.

Thursday's council meeting gave the Conservatives a chance to show that they might do a better job at reducing air pollution than the Government, and they failed miserably.

Cameron can talk about the environment all he likes, but we have seen that what Conservatives do when they are in power is wholly different.

The Green Party is the only party who are serious about improving the quality of the air, and stopping the 50,000 deaths a year that occur as a result of air pollution - a toll which makes air pollution as harmful as passive smoking.