Psst! Anybody want a used vanity number plate?

This item could be of especial interest to the Charlie Drake Fan Club, the Charles Dickens Society, or the still-living superstars Celine Dion and Cameron Diaz.

The Green-led Brighton and Hove City Council is hoping to sell the registration plate on the Mayor's car – CD1 – and raise £150,000. (The CD refers to the local registration letters, by the way.)

The Council's cabinet member for finance, Jason Kitcat, said: "Through auctioning the mayoral number plates we will be creating significant new funding sources for the third sector in this city."

Labour councillor Brian Fitch, who was himself Mayor in 1989, did not agree. "It is only a one-off saving so wouldn't be producing £150,000 of savings every year, " he said. "With that in mind I don't think the potential damage to our civic pride is worthwhile.

"This was a gift to our city and my fear is it will put people off ever donating anything to us again."