According to Labour, Green Party policies are copies of existing policies, are unfair and could threaten local businesses.

A spokesman for Labour said:
"In the latest meeting to discuss the City Budget, the Green Party put forward ideas that could mean tax payers’ money is wasted for the sake of cheap slogans.

"Many of the Green Councillors’ proposals such as, spending an extra £200,000 on another local insulation scheme is duplication of work that is already carried out at a National and local level. Insulation of local homes started 4 years ago through Warm Homes which is run by the local council in partnership with EDF Energy.  

"The Green Group’s amendment on Green Waste collection would also threaten a local Social Enterprise business in the City that already provide garden waste collection services.  Brighton Community Compost at Stanmer is a Social Enterprise and currently provides green waste collection and the Labour Councillors will be urging that administration meet with them to explore options that allow for increased frequency of collection and reduction in the ten bag minimum.

"The final duplication from the Greens was a suggestion to spend £32,000 maintaining the chalk grasslands surrounding the City.  Labour recently called for a special scrutiny committee meeting on this very subject where representatives of ‘Friends’ conservation groups and the wider community came to give evidence.  

"The committee upheld the importance of conservation mowing practices and instructed further consultation and to implement agreed practices.  This is on top of the Labour Party amendment to the council’s Core Strategy last year that was agreed by most councilors (with the exception of Green Councillor, Pete West) which requires the council to draw up individual biodiversity management plans for its chalk grasslands and open spaces and that places a duty on the council to carry out conservation mowing, including the removal of the cut grass for composting."

East Brighton Councillor Warren Morgan added;
“Local Green Party suggestions such as increasing some parking permits up to £324 a year will hit trade and resident’s pockets very hard.  In addition, duplicating already successful national and existing local schemes to tackle climate change seems at best nonsensical and at the very worst is charging the average tax payer in Brighton and Hove double.”

For more information about Labour view:
www.brightonhovelabour.com