A move to end library fines on children’s books failed as councillors argued over the effect on the council’s finances.
Labour councillors pushed to stop late fines for children’s books which look likely to go up from 10p to 15p a day.
Labour also asked for a limited increase in fares for Volk’s Railway, the hire charges for beach volleyball courts and community spaces and student filming fees.
Their plea was made when proposed increases in fees and charges were discussed by members of Brighton and Hove City Council at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Thursday 13 January).
Labour councillor Nick Childs said that he was concerned about the role of unelected officials in setting fees and the implications of increases.
He said: “The unreasonable and unjust fee increases imposed run contrary to many of our core moral corporate policy objectives, in particular the promotion of healthy living, active travel and access to library services, particularly for the young and the vulnerable.
“I’m well aware of the financial squeeze placed upon our city as a consequence of years of Tory government cuts as well as inflationary pressures. These pressures are also felt by our residents.”
Labour called for an inflation-based cap on sports hire charges while accepting some increases were necessary.
Councillor Childs said that it was essential to axe “punitive” fees on late library books for children because reading improved youngsters’ life chances.
His fellow Labour councillor Amanda Evans said that it was “financially unsound” to target individuals rather than businesses with fees and charges.
She said: “It seems to me to be deeply unfair. I do understand, for example, Visit Brighton has no fee increases proposed, but these will be increased the following year because of the difficult trading conditions in tourism for the last 18 months.
“I get that. I feel that sympathy, but individuals have had difficult times, lost their jobs and suffered in this pandemic, too, and are ill-able to afford the kind of increases we’re making.”
Conservative councillor Dee Simson said that she could not support Labour’s proposals because her party opposed the whole fees and charges report before the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee.
She said: “We believe there are many increases that I can only refer to as mean. They target children and charities. These go beyond the increases agreed at other committees.
“What this shows to us is that residents are now going to have to pay the price for the council’s poor policy decisions during the last 12 months, which has caused such a hole in the budget.”
Green councillor Steph Powell, who co-chairs the Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee, said that she understood the sentiment behind Labour’s move to scrap late charges for children’s library books.
But she could not agree to their list of demands, adding: “Your entire list of requests in this amendment holds budget implications which run into tens of thousands of pounds.
“Your amendment will create a bigger black hole than we already have. At budget council next month, with all councillors scrutinising and debating on what we have, we may have reduced that black hole. Until that point, we cannot look at this request now.”
Councillor Powell said that the Green administration had worked on the budget for six months. She wanted to wait for a full debate at budget council when all parties were fully aware of the financial situation.
Green councillor Siriol Hugh-Jones said that no one wanted to put up fees and charges. She said: “We’ve had years and years of austerity, years and years of council salami-slicing budgets to keep services open.
“The choice is now down to either imposing some fee increases or closing services altogether. A lot of that is down to years of austerity.”
Councillor Hugh-Jones said that children’s library book fines had not increased for four years and DVD charges had remained the same for 14 years.
The Greens voted down Labour’s proposals, with the Conservatives abstaining.
The Greens’ own proposals to raise dozens of fees and charges went through on the casting vote of Green councillor Martin Osborne, who chaired the meeting. Labour and Conservatives voted against.
I have written a post about this – http://www.facebook.com/savehovelibrary
Eseentially, Labour made a mistake by bundling the children’s fines into a list of items, such as Volk’s Railway, in its amendment.
Of continuing concern is that only half of the book fund was spent last year. Such funds have to be carried over as part of the PFI arrangement. Libraries without good books die.