Time and time again I’ve heard on the doorsteps that people want a different kind of politics. After 13 years of cruel Tory government, they want to know councillors are ready to stand up for our fantastic city and do whatever it takes to stop Tory cuts.
The country is now in the eye of a perfect storm: more than a decade of a brutal austerity agenda, Brexit, a deadly pandemic and soaring inflation – and now a cost-of-living crisis driving more and more people to seek out help.
With no new funding from government, it’s plain to see councils trying to support residents are at breaking point.
Last year Greens and Labour worked together to do everything possible to stem the worst. Labour voted for the last budget we put forward and presented positive ideas to improve it.
Recognising no one has the monopoly on good ideas, we staved off some of the most brutal impacts of Tory policy and kept council services running by working together.
Not that you’d know it. This week a lead Labour councillor published a piece on council finances with claims that would be the envy of Rishi Sunak – apparently the terrifying cliff edge in our council funding has nothing to do with the Tories.
This is despite a report from auditors making clear that not only were attempts to close the gap in funding last year “proven effective” but that soaring demand for adult social care, children’s services and to tackle homelessness is pushing the council’s budget to breaking point. Funding simply cannot keep up with demand.
Sadly, around the country the story is the same. Birmingham, the biggest unitary council in Europe, has recently gone bankrupt along with Croydon, Thurrock, Slough, Woking, Hampshire and Northamptonshire.
In a recent survey of 47 councils, 26 said they were facing failure over the next two years due to a £5 billion national funding gap.
Are these all Green-run cities? No. Are these cities that have worked financial miracles over the past 13 years? Yes.
Public services are being bled to death by Tory negligence. Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said recently he “doesn’t care if he sounds like a Conservative” – seemingly Brighton and Hove Labour don’t either.
Instead of coming out against the impact Tory policy is having on the council’s budget, the new Labour-run council has clearly set out its stall with a narrative of wanting all the glory but none of the blame for the last four years since they collapsed locally in 2020.
They are quick off the mark to try to heap every challenge they face on Greens – but forgetting they worked side by side with us to shape the budget and fully supported it.
It’s the same budget that secured funding for projects they now champion – such as the new affordable housing in Whitehawk, plans to protect our precious downland estate and investment in new road and active travel improvements.
Worse still, I’m concerned Labour are also undoing what progress had been made. Auditors are urging Brighton and Hove to do everything possible to increase fees and charges to help plug the gap this year.
Yet Labour has reversed parking charges and are risking projects handed to them on a plate – like completing Valley Gardens and the A259 active travel corridor – jeopardising millions of pounds of hard-won funding in the process.
The price of a bag of cement is going up every day and yet Labour are costing the city dear through delays on projects they voted for.
I urge the Labour group to face up to reality and stand with all those who are determined to challenge Tory cuts.
Since the Conservative government took power in 2010, nearly 800 public libraries have closed. Over 1,300 children’s centres have gone. Rough sleeping has skyrocketed and funding for education has been slashed.
Picking fights with people who are focused on working together to support public services will do nothing to keep our libraries and public toilets open.
We need every idea on the table that could protect our residents from the worst at the next budget. Sadly, far from their promise to listen, all Labour want to do is point the finger of blame.
The Green message to the Labour administration that worked with us cheek by jowl for the past four years to stave off the worst of austerity is clear. Stop defending Tory cuts.
Councillor Steve Davis is the convenor of the Green group on Brighton and Hove City Council.
The problem is that taxes are at their highest level since the late 1940’s, around 37% of GDP. Despite taxes paid by us all being at their highest level in most of our lifetimes, we are getting a terrible service from national and local government. I can’t think of an area which isn’t performing badly. So we are spending more on public services than ever before but getting a poorer service
A key part of this is public service productivity. It hasn’t increased at anything like the rate the private sector has. And the private sector hasn’t done that well compared to other countries
We need to be honest about the issues here. The greens are blaming Tories and cuts. Yet we, the public, are paying the most in tax for generations. So, no, it isn’t austerity anymore! At least the taxes aren’t austere anyway! We’re just not getting what we are paying so highly for – from local or national government.
Totally agree. The council seems non-responsive to everything. Are they still working from home?
Indeed. I had a query regarding the calculaiton of a council tax bill. I could only contact the council via e-mail. It took them three months to answer. Blaming ”austerity’ and government cuts just doesn’t wash any more.
According to the Institute of Government, local government funding is down 10 percent nationally since 2010. So no matter how much tax we are all paying, local councils are still having to do more with less (and the social care demands keep growing).
So austerity is, and will remain, and ongoing issue and wherever the tax monies are going (subsidising the useless privatised railway, filling the COVID black hole partly caused by buying useless PPE from Tory mates …) they ain’t going to local government.
Cllr Davis, just on Parking Fees, without the hyperlocal knowledge, Zone H would have had many issues arise from it.
Simple example, when considering the prices of the hospital parking is cheaper than the proposed increases, the natural progression would have been that people park in the hospital car park, denying access to the building, and we would have an access to health issue.
Whilst I admire the dedication to green policy, it needs to be tempered with feasibly, reasonableness, and an intelligent approach. Unfortunately, your party has an amazing reputation for being Liz Trussian in its administrative competence.
The public saw this shambles and have many visual examples to choose from of various flavours, quite rightly the party was removed, and now the damage has to be repaired.
Whilst I respect your zealotry, you would benefit from reflective humility. Be passionate. But be better.
Truss and Kwarteng cost the British economy £20 billion pounds and caused lasting damage that mortgage payers will suffer for on a long term basis.
Pissing off the electorate with poorly received LTNs and proposing public toilet closures two months before an election is politically incompetent, but really … it’s not a fair or reasonable comparison, is it?!