Leading Conservative councillors have criticised the government for another year of “savage” cuts to council spending.
Brighton and Hove’s Conservatives are particularly concerned about cuts to libraries, unauthorised encampment enforcement and the effects of national insurance increases when the council’s 2025-26 is up for debate next week.
Conservative leader Alistair McNair said that the previous government was blamed for the past 14 years of austerity after “mopping up Labour’s mess” and the current government offered more of the same.
Councillor McNair said: “This budget is the mark of Labour austerity – or austerity mark two.
“We’ll be highlighting the fact that in 2009 the previous austerity, so called, was mopping up Labour’s mess and this Labour council is getting a raw deal from a Labour government.
“It’s cuts across the board again. There’s very savage cuts that are coming. The amendments we’ll propose are scraping the surface.
“We are focusing on amendments our voters in Patcham and Hollingbury would have particular interest in.”
Increased national insurance premiums brought in by the government are hitting council services including social care and school staff.
Councillor McNair said: “It’s really hitting our schools. They say they’re increasing funding for schools but I know head teachers say the money is not replacing the grants the Labour government has cut.
“I know one school that was in the black and is now heavily in deficit because of the national insurance rises alone and the pay increases that are passed on by the council to the schools.
“The national insurance is crippling. I know a school which was in the black and is now in deficit. Some schools are going to be £400,000 to £500,000 in debt.”
They also criticised cuts to opening hours at the Jubilee Library, in Brighton, and Hove Library as well as closing up to three community libraries and the end of the home delivery service.
The home delivery service was brought in to reach communities on the edge of the city – and the Tories said that they worried about the effect on the viability of community libraries.
Proposed savings are expected to total £210,000 and involve removing one late night and Sunday afternoons at the Jubilee Library and Saturday afternoons at Hove.
Conservative deputy leader Anne Meadows said: “Staff at community libraries have already expressed that the council has been in touch with them that they’re going to be consulted on their jobs.
“I’m concerned community libraries will be shut. We’re talking about warm safe spaces for people when they’ve cut the fuel allowance.
“We’re talking about an educated city but they’ll be cutting access to books. They’re also cutting the home delivery so those vulnerable people would lose that service as well. These things can be vital lifelines for people.”
They are also concerned about plans to scrap two full-time posts that deal with unauthorised encampments to save £90,000. The Conservatives said that this was “shortsighted”.
Councillor Meadows asked how the council would deal with people who set up tents in parks or on Hove Lawns as happened last summer.
She said: “It’s a bit shortsighted to not have anyone co-ordinating the police and council officers to ensure welfare checks are made appropriately and to actually get them out of the parks.
“Other people can’t use those parks when there are large encampments there.”
The budget council meeting next Thursday (27 February) is due to debate savings totalling £15.8 million proposed for the 2025-26 financial year. The overall budget adds up to £1.1 billion including capital spending.
In 2025-26, the council expects to spend £880 million on day-to-day services, raising £198 million in council tax.
Councillors are being asked to approve a 4.99 per cent increase in the council’s share of the bill, of which 2 per cent is ring-fenced for adult social care.
Including precepts from the Sussex police and crime commissioner and East Sussex Fire Authority, the band D council tax is expected to be £2,455.79.
Additional precepts are paid by residents of Rottingdean parish and Hanover Crescent, Marine Square and Royal Crescent.
The budget council meeting is due to start at 5.30pm next Thursday. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
Their challenges here come across as being emotively disingenuous. I’ve already explained in detail before why the blaming Labour for austerity during the Tory downfall is objectively incorrect; how the uptake of pension credit has skyrocketed, covering people throughout an entire year, not just winter, which also reentitles them to WFP; and they just casual ignore the entirety of Third Sector exists.
Weak arguments from a weak party. No wonder they’ve become a minor party.
And what is YOUR role in this negligent mismanagement? There are no excuses when the council can always find money for its pet projects. How much is in the Unassigned fund and why cant that be used?
What unassigned fund?
I’ve read most of the budget papers and can’t see any reference to such a fund.
Labour Council, Labour government. All the council needs to do is ask the Mothership for more funding. They can just print it. It’s called Quantative easing.
Devolution going to help with that one, Chris.
Maybe there’s another way to raise GDP, improve trade and strengthen security without printing cash. If we were able to do that, maybe the public purse would be in a less parlous state.
All these guys are as bad as each other.
KEEP THE LIBRARIES OPEN.
WE NEED OUR LIBRARIES.
CUTTING HOURS AND CLOSING DOWN LIBRARIES IS VERY UNFAIR.
Wouldn’t be so bad if this wasn’t the party that backed the Greens vanity project that’s causing £51m to disappear from peoples pockets!
If only all these clowns put as much effort into running Brighton as they did to petty point scoring
I agree. Have your political views, sure. But once you’re in the role, focus on your constituency.