Rebel Green councillors have launched another coup to oust council leader Jason Kitcat.

A year after failing to depose the elected head of Brighton and Hove City Council, a group of rebels are looking to change the rules to stop Coun Kitcat winning a third term as convenor of the Green group.

The bid, which is being backed by serving councillors Alex Phillips and Mike Jones, has been described by one senior party figure as “extremely destructive and not good for the city”.

Opposition parties claimed it was yet more proof that the Greens, who as a party are not whipped, were too divided to run the council.

But party insiders dismissed the coup as a “rearguard action” from a small group of disgruntled individuals adding it was “unlikely” the motion would get the required support required.

Since 2010, the convenor of the Green group has been chosen through an electoral college with half the votes coming from serving councillors and the rest from party members.

Last year, a group of Green councillors – who labelled themselves the “watermelons” to underline their commitment to socialism – failed in a bid to convince the then deputy council leader Phelim MacCafferty to stand against Coun Kitcat in the party’s annual elections.

When he did not, the rebels tried to convince as many as possible to vote for RON – reopen nominations.

Coun Kitcat retained the position but only with the support of 12 out of 23 Green councillors.

With the internal election process already underway for 2014/5, a motion is set to be presented to an extraordinary party meeting on February 25.

It calls for all party members locally to have an equal say in electing the leader of the Green group on the council.

But conceivably, this could mean that it’s convenor – and therefore de facto council leader – does not have the support of his or her council colleagues.

It is understood that party secretary Lousia Greenbaum has threatened to resign over the issue.

One senior party member said: “The rebels cannot win within the group so now they are trying to change the rules entirely.

“It’s vindictive and shows they are hellbent on deposing Kitcat.”

Party sources said the motion, which needs two-thirds support to be enacted, was unlikely to be passed as members rallied around Coun Kitcat.

It is also not clear if the motion could be enacted to affect the current election process.

Labour group leader Warren Morgan said: “The week before the council budget vote on vital local services and two weeks before a vote on loaning £38 million to the i360 project, the Greens should be focussed on the big decisions involved in running the city, but yet again they are fighting like rats in a sack on a ship that is rapidly sinking.

“Residents have had enough of their ceaseless spinning and squabbling; they should all do the decent thing and resign.”

Conservative group leader Geoffrey Theobald said: “How can the Greens focus on the demanding day to day business of running a large city when they are continually pre-occupied with their own internal party politics? They are not a cohesive group.”

Coun Kitcat was unavailable for comment.