Brighton Council fails to pass cuts budget after Green rebellion
UPDATE: The council has now passed a budget which contains cuts. It went through on the 3rd of March. See our report here.
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Green-controlled Brighton & Hove City Council failed to set a budget last week after six Green councillors voted against implementing cuts.
This could be the first example of councillors refusing to set a budget because of opposition to austerity since Liverpool’s Militant-controlled Labour council in the 1980s.
The move came at the budget setting meeting last Thursday (26th Feb), in a meeting which went late into the night, the Argus newspaper has reported.
It follows Brighton and Hove Green Party members unanimously voting in January to demand Green councillors refuse to pass another cuts budget, as Bright Green reported at the time.
Another budget setting meeting will take place this week to try and end the deadlock. As a minority-controlled council, Labour and the Conservatives could unite to set their own budget, and if no budget is set then a budget will be implemented by a council administrator, it is understood.
The Argus reports on Thursday’s full council meeting:
“With the Greens proposing a referendum-inducing 5.9% rise and a Conservative freeze failing to gather enough support, it was the city council’s third party Labour’s 1.99% rise which became the only likely outcome – but it did not happen.
Labour’s plans relied again on sufficient support from Green councillors, with leader Jason Kitcat attempting to convince enough of his colleagues to pass a budget on the night and avoid further delays and uncertainty.
The three budget options were all voted down at the first attempt.”
Green council leader Jason Kitcat, who is not standing for election again this May, condemned Green councillors who voted against setting a budget which involved further cuts, according to the report.
We’re also hearing that the Tories and Labour voted down a Green proposal to protect services for the vulnerable by getting rid of paid party political advisers, as well as a proposal for a 6% rise in council tax to prevent further cuts.
More updates to come.
Follow the Bright Green site for coverage of the result of the upcoming council vote on Tuesday.
Is this a breakthrough for the anti-austerity movement? Does it set a precedent for Green councillors across the country? And where next for Brighton Greens and the council? May’s election there will be interesting indeed…
Do you live in Brighton? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
UPDATE: One of the original ‘Liverpool 47’ Militant councillors who refused to pass cuts budgets in the ’80s has sent her solidarity. A sea-change for the left – and something to unite around?
Perhaps Left Unity will now be even more inclined to back Green candidates this May after pledging to support an anti-austerity alliance.
Note: The title of this piece was changed from the initial ‘Brighton Council votes against cuts and refuses to set budget‘ after some rightly pointed out that it was not the administration as a whole which voted against a cuts budget, but was the result of the ‘Brighton Six‘ – the rebel Green councillors.
The sooner that these Greens are kicked to touch the better. The Green party council has been a failed experiment, unrealistic road speed reductions that expect an over stretched police force to implement the chaos.
get rid ASAP, no wonder Mr Kitkat won’t be standing
C’mon F Parker. This is not the Brighton and Hove Argus. Contribute something useful or F Parker off.
20 mile an hour speed limits are spreading throughout cities in the UK as they are safer for all road users and pedestrians. Brighton has too many cars travelling through daily. This problem will not disappear with a change in Council.
Whilst, in principle (as a GPEW member), I applaud the “no more cuts” stand taken by the rebels, I am concerned that an across-the-board rise in council tax would place an additional burden on those already struggling to pay this crude and unprogressive tax and so rather defeat the objective of this stance.
If it is to protect those who would be most hurt by cuts in services and benefits, the rise would have to be solely applied to progressive increases, towards the upper C.T. bands, or from some other source such as a levy on high value assets or income, whether corporate or individual.
In an across the board rise in council tax,would not council tax benefit reduce the amount paid by the poorest. The wealthiest getting off with little extra to pay, around 5% on an already very low local tax (in percentage of wealth for the wealthiest top 10% or so) and lower middle to middle income families will suffer most. But is it not still better to increase council tax to pay for services that support the poorest than cut them. ( depending on the service, personally I think social workers could be cut in favour of home helps, care workers etc).
Rob
Solidarity with the 6 Green Rebel Councillors, but this is a completely misleading report. 15 Green Councillors voted for cuts, but 6 Green Councillors rebelled and voted with the opposition against their own party’s budget (5.9% council tax rise with £18 million cuts) which fell as there was a stalemate with the minority administration unable to set a budget meaning they are meeting again this week to attempt to set a budget. The opposition refused to support a budget that wanted to rise council tax by 5.9%. It’s good that there are finally 6 anti-cuts Green councillors, but this headline is wrong. The council hasn’t voted against cuts and refused to set a budget, rather the ruling administration is struggling to get a budget through. I imagine that the majority of Green councillors will be looking to find concessions that Labour/Tories/LibDems will support to get a budget through, otherwise the administration will collapse.
Not before time some Green Party Councillors get a backbone.
A good attempt by some to try and restore some credibility, but too late for the many left wingers like myself who have now quit the party.
Who will you vote for then? Surely all the other 15 councillors would vote against the cuts if not for the Labour and Tory councillors making it impossible.