Second attempt to pass Brighton budget succeeds despite Green unrest
Brighton and Hove City Council today passed a budget which involved more cuts, despite another rebellion by some Greens.
The move comes just days after Bright Green reported the first budget-passing attempt failed in the face of six anti-austerity Green councillors.
Thousands of Greens and anti-cuts figures – including Militant 1980s Liverpool council deputy leader Derek Hatton – had backed the position of the six anti-cuts Greens on Thursday.
Four Green councillors voted against today’s budget, maintaining their opposition to any more cuts: Alex Phillips, Ruth Buckley, and Phélim Mac Cafferty. Suspended Green member Ben Duncan also voted against.
More than £20m cuts from central government were to be made in the second budget passing attempt however. Yet Tuesday’s reconvened meeting took just 1 hour 30 to pass a budget.
Loyalist Greens and Labour passed a compromise budget, with all 15 Conservative councillors and three of the six rebel Green councillors present voting against the new budget, according to the Argus.
The budget passed as amended for a 1.99% council tax increase – the maximum rise without triggering a referendum – passing with 26 in favour and 19 against, with 2 abstentions. The Greens had previously proposed a 6% rise to ameliorate the cuts, but this was defeated by 34 votes to the Greens’ 13, leading Kitcat’s Greens to support Labour’s 2% amendment which protects children centre funding, Pride, public toilets and other services (although clearly not completely).
Labour’s 2% proposal will lead to cuts to street cleaning, sustainability and council communications, according to Latest TV. The Greens’ 6% rise would have prevented these cuts.
Labour will be pleased that they have effectively passed their own budget after defeating the Greens, while anti-austerity Greens will be dismayed at Thursday’s anti-austerity vote which failed to pass a budget being overridden.
Green councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty was one of the Greens to maintain his anti-cuts position:
After a lot of careful thought, my position hasn’t changed. I cannot, in all conscience, vote for any #cuts today.
— Phélim Mac Cafferty (@Phelimmac) March 3, 2015
Green council leader Jason Kitcat seemed satisfied with the budget passing however:
I’m pleased #bhbudget has been agreed. Not all that I had hoped for but that’s politics in a No Overall Control council.
— Jason Kitcat (@jasonkitcat) March 3, 2015
Labour leader Cllr Warren Morgan was jubilant that the joint Green/Labour budget passed however, using the ‘victory’ as a chance for electioneering:
For the 3rd year in a row @bhlabour set #bhbudget from opposition – next year we aim to do it from office. Time for #ACouncilThatWorksForYou — Cllr Warren Morgan (@warrenmorgan) March 3, 2015
More updates to come.
A sad day for the anti-austerity movement? A missed chance? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
In some ways this is the best result possible for the greens under a hung council.
Whilst council tax is not a fair tax, it’s the fairest thing a council has to raise more money. A 6% rise would have hit some of the poorer people harder it would have enabled the greens to protect people even more vulnerable than those on lower incomes – so probably the lesser of two evils. So morally it was the right thing for the greens to propose. However electorally it could have been disastrous.
Whilst I have a great deal of sympathy with the ‘no cuts’ position ultimately it would have hit the people of Brighton & Hove harder with a Pickles budget. It’s hard to know how this would have played out with the public – some would be glad the greens were taking a strong line but others would have thought this an irresponsible way to deal with it. Sadly too much of the wider public is taken in by the need for austerity so I fear the latter would be more likely to have been the case.
So ultimately it’s good that some of the greens took the ‘no cuts’ line but not enough to lead to a Pickles budget.
What does a council do if budget is not sufficient. Does it cut services it thinks are not as important and retain or increase budgets on other things. For instance in Gloucestershire, though people are complaining about poor roads I would, if I could and, if necessary, cut all spending on roads accept for emergency repairs and divert money to home helps. adult services,youth clubs, practical parent support and public transport etc. I would also cut social workers and police in favour of grass roots practical support and raise council tax as high as possible, giving more to the poor by such things as free school dinners, cheaper public transport etc. But I think that could well be very unpopular. I don’t know if in Brighton’s case they would be allowed to do similar things. I expect they would be blocked by Labour, (and the Tories of course). So is the answer to resign as a local minority government strongly publicising reasons (ie unnecessary, ideological,economically and socially destructive cuts to local government by central government) and vote according to a green viewpoint refusing to vote to maintain order in this dyfunctional system.
I have come to agree with the idea of making Eric Pickles come and have a go if he thinks he’s hard enough…
And that’s one of the reasons why you’re one of my favourite councillors Rob
What and let the poorest in the City suffer? That is typical of the Green Party people I am meeting in Brighton. The budget is just a big political football, and the people in the City are the same.
One of you lot even said to me the other day “I think we should let the Council put through more cuts, because then people will try and fight harder against austerity”… again, the middle class Greens will always be fine, but the poorer people who actually need the childrens centres and no increase on their council tax bill will suffer.
The way council tax is structured you either have to raise council tax for everyone, which hits the poor or cut services which usually hits the poor harder. That is not the fault of any local politician it is the fault of successive Governments that won’t change local taxation.
With £100 million of cuts to come in Brighton, you will find whoever is the largest party in Brighton next year the children centres will be cut! Don’t believe me, well ask your local candidates if their party guarantees it will protect children centres for the next four years. None of them can because they know the huge cuts to come, because both Tories and Labour are committed to them nationally.
As for a tax rise, the 2% rise, which is Labour’s proposal that was voted in, means I will face a 74% rise in council tax as someone in receipt of Council Tax Benefit (or whatever it is called now). Labour is very selective about who they consider is hardest hit. People like me don’t seem to count to them.
As for a tax rise, the 2% rise, which is Labour’s proposal that was voted in, means I will face a 74% rise in council tax as someone in receipt of Council Tax Benefit >
Is this mainly through Council Tax Benefit changing to Council Tax Support