Cllr Mary Mears

Brighton & Hove City Council is proposing its lowest ever annual rise in council tax. The 2.5% increase is part of a three-year commitment to keeping council tax as low as possible and is smaller than last year’s 3.5% rise.

The budget proposals for the financial year 20010-11 include a number of service improvements which have been made possible by efficiency savings. These include:

An extra £500,000 investment in the seafront, continuing work such as painting of railings and improvements to shelters as well as work at Hove Lagoon.

An extra £200,000 on youth outreach work, particularly targeted at early intervention to prevent social exclusion.

£500,000 to develop a new transport model for the city, which will be a platform for planning a range of potential improvements to the city’s transport infrastructure including the development of new park and ride facilities.

£53.6m for capital projects, like the Local Transport Plan and infrastructure works at Falmer.

Efficiency savings of £7.8m will help maintain and improve front line services.

Among many initiatives being taken to generate savings, the council is taking measures to reduce the overall amount of waste collected, increasing ‘early intervention’ in social care and giving service users ‘personalised budgets’.

Council leader Mary Mears said:
“We understand the pressures many of the city’s residents are under at the moment and that is why we have responded by proposing the city’s lowest ever council tax increase.

“Imposing tight limits on our spending and a laser-like focus on delivering value for money have enabled us to balance the books without hitting the council taxpayer in the pocket.

“The current financial climate is also very difficult for the council. Our annual increase in government grant is already spoken for with reduced income from the properties we own and an anticipated increase in demand for some of our essential services.

“This budget and our commitment to low council tax increases in future shows everyone in the city that we’re serious about keeping costs under control and making better use of public money.”

Cllr Paul Elgood, leader of the Lib Dems said:
"The Tories are pushing through a 2.5 per cent increase but even with this it will come at a high price for services and frontline jobs. For years the council has struggled financially and successive Administrations have failed to provide financial stability for the city.  Residents pay a heavy price for this mis-management. They pay more and get less for it each year."

Gill Mitchell, leader of the Labour group said:
"Despite their spin, the Conservative Council budget is already millions of pounds adrift and they are now proposing serious cuts to jobs in essential areas such as Adult Social Care and children's services to bring it back in line and making further cuts.

"Labour Councillors will be proposing amendments to this Tory budget to prevent local people from being hit the hardest by the Conservative's mismanagement and getting a reduction in the burgeoning bureaucracy at the council that the Tories have created."

Responding to Tory administration's budget proposals, Cllr Keith Taylor, Finance Spokesperson for Green Group of Cllrs, said:


"These proposals will see the government grant an increase to Brighton & Hove of just 1.5 per cent, against a national average of 2.6 per cent, at the same time as imposing an overall spending cut on all council services of 4 per cent. 
 
“The Tory response is to cut 160 jobs and slash services, and make life even tougher for thousands in Brighton and Hove. Tories are aiming for big savings by privatising some services
 


“Everyone knows that as times get harder, more and more people come to rely on the support local councils can provide. 



“But it is just these frontline services that the Tory administration plans to cut back, e.g.:

    •    respite care reduced for older people and the sick,
    •    less Connexion advice and support services to young people,
    •    reduced home to school transport for vulnerable children and/or those in
         special educational need
    •    cut opening hours for Booth Museum by 35%
    •    slash bus subsidies
    •    reducing social care support.


“Greens believe the council has a duty to do everything in its power to help all local residents, especially in times financial hardship. That means making sure services that support the most vulnerable in our city are protected. 



“We will be proposing amendments to bring fairness to these budget proposals. Our number one priority will be making sure residents most in need of council support are not left worse off.



“Under the proposed Tory cuts the future is a cold and hard place. In a week when we’ve heard of almost a thousand job losses locally, a responsible council must do more than paint the seafront railings.“