Last week your Labour councillors brought forward a range of positive measures to improve things in our city at full council.
Former Labour councillor Emma Daniel presented a petition aimed at reducing the cost of school uniforms.
Emma did great work on trying to poverty-proof our schools when she was on the council.
Parents have enough financial pressures to face without over-priced uniforms so Labour called for a report that highlights the policies of all secondary schools.
Some schools and organisations offer uniform-swap schemes and these are worth rolling out city-wide.
We asked a range of questions on the key issues facing our city today, including how rough sleepers will be supported over Christmas, how fly-tipping will be tackled, how facilities will be improved for council housing – and on rolling out “School Streets” and electric vehicle charging points.
We also raised concerns about the council’s preparedness for an economic recovery from covid-19 and the looming impact of Brexit on our city.
Labour gained support for a positive amendment to the Green’s proposal on adopting the “Power of Youth Charter”.
We commended the work of young people at the forefront of the Black Lives Matter movement and the youth climate strikes, in organising our city’s first Youth Climate Assembly, and in organisations like Youthwise and Children in Care.
This really sums up our approach to opposition. We won’t play political games. We’ll hold power to account and work collaboratively with others to put the best interests of the city and our residents first, at all times.
Sadly, the Conservative group displayed a rather different approach and once again marred a council meeting with nasty personal attacks and allegations, sewing division and hostility.
It doesn’t serve our residents’ interests so it has no place in the council chamber.
Let’s hope courtesy and respect feature prominently in the new year’s resolutions of our Conservative colleagues.
And on that note, it only remains for me to offer all my best wishes for 2021.
Councillor Nancy Platts is the leader of the Labour opposition on Brighton and Hove City Council.
Round objects.
So will Nancy reveal details of the secret agreement between Labour and the Greens that means many decisions are being made behind closed doors rather than in open committee?
Remember the “Covid cycle lanes”, “Valley Gardens” and the “Pesticide ban” – all introduced without open debate.
Please CONDEMN the New Year’s Party due to hosted by the Freedom Party in the old black rock swimming pool = it is an anarchist provocation aimed at ending the world = and the green party secretly are behind it
Unfortunately Nancy you are not seen as the ‘opposition’ because you literally don’t oppose anything. The Greens do as they please and momentum Labour are complicit in this. You are supposed to challenge decisions especially when homelessness is still a huge issue and the ever divisive policy that every cycle lane is a good cycle lane.