In a long and tense budget meeting at Brighton Town Hall last night, Labour’s alternative budget proposals were finally accepted by the Tories.

However, despite the Tories eventually accepting Labour and the Greens joint alternative proposals, the Greens irrationally voted against a budget which included their own changes and perversely voted against leaving the Hove cycle lane in place.

If Labour had voted against these alternative budget proposals last night, then a city budget could not have been set. This could have led to further meetings, backdoor deals and potentially, civil servants from Whitehall may have had to step in and sort out the city’s finances. Furthermore, it would have posed a further delay to local taxpayers awaiting the council tax rate for the following year.

Labour’s accepted alternative budget proposals will save local jobs and protect Brighton & Hove’s vital frontline services, at no extra cost to the taxpayer, such as: 

• community safety team (who deal with drug and alcohol abuse)
• the youth offending team
• community care
• community development and equality team
• the school improvement service
• fostering and adoption service
• education welfare service
• supported bus routes
• personalised care for the vulnerable
• the new careers guidance service
• school’s equality and anti-bullying workers

 These were chiefly funded by reversing the proposed 1% council tax cut, a reduction the council could not realistically afford, and abandoning Tory plans to rip out Hove’s cycle lane costing the taxpayer £1million.

 Labour plans which were also accepted include: 

• the reversal of Tory charges for car club bays,
• a freeze the price of parking permits,
• the creation of a food waste pilot,
• the creation of a Citywide Financial Inclusion Strategy
• more prudent investment of money back into council reserves to prevent future disruption such as job losses or service cuts.

 Brighton & Hove Labour Leader, Councillor Gill Mitchell, said:

 ”I’m glad the Tories accepted Labour’s alternative budget. It is a fairer budget for tough financial times, which saves Brighton & Hove’s vital frontline services and local jobs at no extra cost to the taxpayer.”

 “The Tory budget cut jobs and slashed services to pay for a council tax cut and the daft removal of a cycle lane at a cost to the taxpayer of £1million. Labour opposed this outright.

 “The Greens had been working with us to present an alternative budget but acted quite irresponsibly last night. For example, when the Tories finally accepted our alternative budget, the Greens voted against, thus voting down their own proposals, including perversely, to vote against leaving the Hove cycle lane in place.”