Council tax rise confirmed in Draft Green Budget

Brighton and Hove City Council’s Green administration has today released its draft budget report which confirms the intention to rise council tax by 3.5%.

The early release of the pre-budget report is part of the council’s pledge to make the budget setting process the most transparent it has ever been, but the focus has been on the council tax increase which is set to come despite an offer of a freeze by the Government.

The freeze is only on offer to councils willing to accept the equivalent of a 2.5% increase rise in council tax, but the Green Party has decided to impose a 3.5% increase with leader Bill Randall explaining that it will “help keep libraries and children’s centres open, and it will help keep Brighton and Hove a safe and healthy place to live”.

Cllr Randall added it would help to protect jobs, although the council has confirmed it will cut up to 120 job posts as it looks to make more than £17m in savings.

Finance cabinet member Jason Kitcat used Twitter to explain the losses related to posts, but in reality only 50 jobs would be lost.

Cllr Kitcat said: “We have had to make some difficult choices, but our guiding principle has always been about putting the city’s needs first and protecting the most vulnerable.”

The Greens have explained that increasing council tax and plans to more than double the cost of business parking permits (up from £175 to £400) are unavoidable due to the actions by the Coalition Government.

A report by the party released today explained: “The national Conservative/LibDem government have committed to a programme of radically cutting public spending. Labour are no different, their economic plans include cuts almost identical to the government’s approach.

“Greens do not accept the economic arguments for these cuts. The UK deficit is not particularly large by historical standards. And as many economists have argued, cutting now only further weakens the economy, which is exactly what we’re seeing now. Public services shouldn’t be slashed to pay for bailing out bankers. We will work with campaigns and unions seeking to oppose the cuts.”

The budget announcement has been criticised by opposition parties with Tory leader in the city Geoffrey Theobald saying: “The last Conservative Administration protected frontline services and froze the council tax. This Green Administration has wasted the last 6 months by failing to continue with our value for money programme and seems to be pursuing a policy of hitting frontline services and substantially increasing council tax.”

The Tories also pinpointed plans to reduce the street cleaning budget by £400,000 per annum, reducing the opening hours of city libraries and accused the Greens of proposing to close some Sure Start centres.

Cllr Theobald added: “This budget is an out and out attack on the core frontline services that the hard-working residents of this city rely upon. When we were in Administration we were always at pains to prioritise services that made this a city we could all be proud of and the Greens are now putting all that at risk.”

While the deputy leader of the Labour & Co-Operative group Cllr Les Hamilton added: “Instead they want residents to pay for their failures with a 10.5% council tax increase over three years, while refusing the government money on offer to freeze the level of tax to help hard-pressed families, and are squeezing £1.3m more from residents and local businesses in parking fee increases.”

As part of the council’s attempts to involve residents in the budget setting process you can see how changes will impact on your wallet by using the budget simulator.

Related Posts:

• Greens fume at Labour as budget recriminations begin
• Opposition parties urged to see sense ahead of budget meeting
• Conservatives unveil alternative budget proposals
• Brighton and Hove to miss out on council tax freeze
• Tories slam Green’s handling of council’s finances

Tags: Bill Randall, budget, council tax, Geoffrey Theobald, Les Hamilton