Last week, I wrote about the improvements to the city’s budget that Labour were able to secure at the budget council meeting in February by working constructively and cross-party in the best interests of the city.
By putting positive outcomes above party politics, we were able to work collaboratively to win support for measures to address residents’ concerns on issues such as drug dealing, parking charges, beach huts and bus services.
I’m proud of what we achieved for our residents but ultimately the reason all the political parties came forward with a range of different plans was because we were all struggling to stretch a budget that is ultimately just not enough to deliver everything we need and that our residents and businesses want.
All councillors want to do their best for the city but there is just not enough money to go around.
The pandemic has shown that when the chips are down, government turns to councils to ensure that people get fed and have a roof over their head.
So, I hoped that when the Conservative government delivered its spring budget on Wednesday 3 March that ministers would back up their warm words about how much they value local councils, with a solid financial commitment to properly fund adult social care.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
Yet again, the Conservative government placed the financial burden of supporting the most vulnerable in society on to local council taxpayers.
Over the past five years there has been over 11 per cent added to council tax in Brighton and Hove in adult social care precepts.
We were hoping to see a government budget that would foster a sustainable economic recovery and help the country Build Back Better.
Instead, there was no mention of inequality, no bold action on the climate emergency, no plan for social care and no support for key workers – who are being rewarded for their tireless work throughout the pandemic with a real-terms pay cut.
After working hard to strengthen the local budget for Brighton and Hove this year, seeing the Chancellor deliver a national budget that offered nothing in the way of good news for local councils, social care, key workers or council taxpayers was a bitter pill to swallow.
Councillor Nancy Platts is the Labour opposition leader on Brighton and Hove City Council.
This year social care provisions inAll councillors want to do their best for the city but there is just not enough money to go around.
This year social care provisions in council tax have increased by a massive 34.5% – much more than the paltry 2.2% that all other services in the city received.
The 3% and 2% increases mentioned on council tax bills is very misleading.
Nancy states “All councillors want to do their best for the city but there is just not enough money to go around”.
I would hope they would “do their best”, and listen to, and take action on the views of the electorate rather than promoting their own pet schemes in the basis that they were “good for the city” independent of the cost and the effect on jobs, businesses, and the local economy.
If only the council could spend as much time looking to increase council revenues by encouraging visitors and businesses to come here, as they do on funding new projects of dubious value such as the “climate emergency” where the city council affects about 0.0002% of global emissions, and discussing national topics such as Britain’s nuclear deterrent.
As Labour supporters we all get the Tory government is not local governments friend. But Cllr Platts could we actually see Labour represent its electorate now in the city. It comes to something when the MP has to wade in on the OSR Cycle lane fiasco because you have been silent. Why don’t you support councilors in the west? Why did you not make any use of the FOI figures on the OSR? Why do we have complete silence on the apology the council has had to make to the Department of Transport over these false figures? You have some cheek calling yourself leader of the ‘opposition’. Your tenure will be remembered as Platts the Patsy.
“The pandemic has shown that when the chips are down, government turns to councils to ensure that people get fed and have a roof over their head.”
Which the government then threw a LOT of money at. And still are. See here… https://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2021/03/18/rough-sleepers-brought-in-during-first-lockdown-to-be-housed-until-autumn/
Then in Q3 of last year the coucnil reported that it had ‘cost’ over £12,000 PER homeless person to be looked after for the period of lockdown to the end of June. £4,000 a month. Per person.
It also reported a predicted loss of £30,000 PER MONTH in lost parking revenue from their decision to close Madeira Drive.
Please Nancy, don’t continue to lie to us that you have tried to do ‘your best’ for the residents of this town because it’s a lie.