Day: March 5, 2014

Labour Leader Cllr Warren Morgan has issued an appeal to Green and Tory Councillors to see “common sense” and not drop the council into a financial black hole by continuing to block the budget.

Cllr Morgan said: “we have been told very clearly that voting against setting a lawful budget again tomorrow night will have serious financial consequences both for the city council and, potentially, individual councillors themselves. If a budget isn’t set and council tax bills don’t go out, income the council relies on for services will dry up, and the Government may step in to take over, with dire repercussions for local services and jobs.

“We will vote for the base budget as we did last Thursday. The Greens and Tories have made their points about calling a referendum and freezing tax, now we all need to get serious, stop playing politics and make sure the council continues to function. All they need to do is abstain in the vote and let us pass a budget.”

Council leader, Cllr Kitcat responded by calling once again on Labour councillors to allow a public referendum on a council tax rise of 4.75% despite there being clear evidence there was little public support in the city for the measure.

Cllr Kitcat said: “It’s clear that the Tories want to see Eric Pickles come to Brighton & Hove and further slash funding for council services. They are committed to reducing public services and jobs in the city indefinitely.

“However Labour’s position has been very disappointing. They claim to be concerned about the unprecedented cuts Brighton & Hove faces and the impact on local services – but have blocked our proposals to protect them. We urge them to prove it by allowing us, as the largest party, to set a budget that gives local services a more certain future.

“With both Labour and the Tories in Westminster committed to austerity for years to come, the very existence of local services hangs in the balance. Those in our city who rely on council services would benefit from the stability a council tax increase of 4.75% would offer.

“We call on Labour to work with us to offer the city the best possible budget to protect services and jobs, now and in the future.“

Following last weeks budget meeting when the three parties failed to set a budget it emerged that in negotiations Cllr Kitcat offered Labour three Green votes to pass Labour’s budget with one of the conditions being that £6,000 was taken from the £25,000 grant to Pride that had been successfully passed earlier in the evening in a Conservative and Labour ammendment.

The Greens public position has been that Pride is sustainable and does not need the money. Despite numerous requests from Gscene asking if Cllr Kitcat, any Green Councillor or any council officer had seen the Pride accounts in the last two years to justify this position, the request remains unanswered.

During the budget debate Cllr Geoffrey Bowden a former communications officer and Trustee for Pride South East Ltd. which ceased trading in 2012 with debts of more than £200,000, said: “Pride is not a sacred cow” and suggested Pride was sustainable, did not need the grant and any money available should be used to pay towards security costs for the Gay Village Street Party in his ward.

Companies House records show that a serving council officer is a director of the Gay Village Street Party. The council have confirmed to Gscene they were aware of this, the officer served in this position as a local resident and now the officer has moved out of the area has asked to stand down as a director.

Brighton Pride CIC in the last two years raised £77,000 for LGBT organisations through their fundraising programme. The Gay Village street party raised no money for LGBT organisations despite receiving council financial support.

James Ledward editor of Gscene said: “It is outrageous that the Greens have politicised the grant to Pride, used it as a political football and attempted to horse trade the very survival of the organisation for £6,000.

“For many in the  LGBT community Pride is “a scared cow” and the behaviour of the Greens over this issue just reinforces my view that they see the LGBT community as a financial commodity they can barter with rather than a vulnerable community with very complex needs. They should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.”

“In the real world you do not make decisions that affects the future of a community organisation whose sole purpose is to raise money for other community organisations without first asking to see the books. That is exactly what has been done here. It is unprofessional but sadly the trademark of how this discredited administration conducts its business.”