Green councillors have criticised proposed cuts totalling £15 million as Brighton and Hove City Council prepares to set the budget for the coming financial year and said bold action was needed.
The main opposition party raised concerns about cuts to trading standards, libraries, the team dealing with unauthorised encampments, adult social care and the loss of the youth-led grants project.
Green group convenor Steve Davis said that his colleague and finance lead, Councillor Ollie Sykes, could “find a tenner down the back of a sofa 100 miles away” but there was nothing left.
Councillor Davis, who has run his own business for 20 years, said that it had reached the point where there was no money to “keep the lights on”.
As a member of the Green administration which set budgets with Labour councillors from 2020 to 2023, the opposition leader said that money could be found for “nice stuff” but national and global issues were affecting local finances.
He said: “We’ve seen the biggest transfer of wealth globally since the pandemic in history and people are wondering why there’s no money to pay for youth-led grants and things like this.
“What’s needed is bold action from the government that are just too scared to do it. I’ve been coming to this chamber for six years and every year it just gets worse and worse.
“Just show me how in 12 months’ time there’s going to be real change and this is going to be better because it’s not.
“It’s a managed decline of a country because of ever-decreasing ownership of assets globally and locally.
“I’m the most optimistic person in the world but, honestly, it’s like moving the deckchairs around on the Titanic.”
Councillor Sykes said that the council’s savings programme involved trying to reduce demand for housing, social care and foster care.
He was concerned that savings programmes could end up pushing those most in need away from council support.
He said: “In-year, you can’t achieve the savings. You predict a massive overspend to the end of the year – and then you have to do emergency cutbacks.
“You can’t do anything. You’re paralysed and then you struggle your way to the end of the year to achieve a balance and then the whole thing starts again.
“That’s no way to run a local authority when you regularly spend half the year in emergency freeze position and the arguments you make for savings are frankly fictitious. The model is broken.”
He called for proper resources for local government to properly fund the services people use.
Areas of concern in the budget include £1.5 million of pressure caused by increased national insurance payments which, the Greens said, were resulting in job losses.
They were also concerned about a £27,000 cut to trading standards proposed by ending civil fair trading advice to businesses and consumers.
The Youth Led Grants programme is also due to end, resulting in a £40,000 saving.
The Greens introduced the grants which affect youth projects and activities for young people aged 11 to 19 – or up to 25 if they have special educational needs.
The original budget was £120,000 but it has slowly been reduced until it was down to £40,000 for this current year.
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.
The Intellectual inconsistency and palpably absurdity of Brighton Greens. They live in a parallel universe from other Brighton and Hove residents.
How much did cllr Davis pee away on Beryl Bikes?
Do love Steve Davis claiming that he’s “run his own business for 20 years” to imply he understands economics and “big himself up”. I thought he was initially a white van driver and then progressed to being a (hypocritical) driving instructor.
Doesn’t convince me he knows anything about running profitable businesses or budgeting, based on how the Greens just threw our money at vanity schemes with no defined benefits .
Perhaps Steve Davis should suggest stopping the council wasting £10m of spending every year on trying to make the city #NetZero when they only address the 2% of carbon emissions due to the council.
Fun Fact: He was my driving instructor before he became a councillor, he was extremely opinionated back then too, lol.
I don’t doubt it Benjamin. I hope you managed to get through your test despite having to endure him and his hubris.
Politics aside, he was a good driving instructor.
The vanity project gravy train in coming to a halt 😊
What does Cllr Davis actually suggest doing, (except moaning at the national government who certainly will not be listening)? We can thanks the Greens for the £50 million + debt local taxpayers will have to cover to pay for the i360 so please forgive many of us who simply think the Greens plus finance equals an utter clusterf**k.
For a start, the government could introduce a wealth tax on assets over £10 million and 2% on assets over £1billion – very few people would pay it – just the very rich, and it would raise a considerable amount.
For me, that’s a better alternative than the Labour Party targeting pensioners and pushing through cuts via local authority social services and the community and voluntary sector. So many charities will be impacted by this council’s planned budget, and I’m staggered Labour councillors are proposing such awful cuts without batting an eyelid – truly shocking imo.
Actually nobody would pay it, as anyone with that level of wealth would have left the country.
Don’t be ridiculous, not everybody would, and those who are determinedly trying to avoid paying tax already are. That’s another thing the government could do instead of targeting the most vulnerable, they could close tax evasion loopholes.
Millionaires left Britain at record rates last year, and are continuing to do so. So not quite as ridiculous as you claim.
You also need to learn the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion.
The top 10% of earners already contribute 60.2% of income tax to the treasury.
Corporation tax has been increased to 25% recently but this does not apply to companies which are registered off-shore. Therefore, it is small and modestly sized UK based businesses who are being targeted as opposed to global corporations.
Please remember that when using/spending with Google, amazon, Facebook, Apple and the parent company of The Guardian newspapaer.
How dare they cut BASIC statutory services when they have all the money in the world for unwanted cameras and traffic schemes and writing off a £51m iSore debt against the Will of Brighton and Hove people.
Get rid of the vanity projects and the overpaid Brighton and Hove City Council CEO Jess Gibbons who earns more than the Prime Minister, but for doing WHAT?
Labour austerity is still austerity
Greens have no credibility in this city. They should be quiet or raise to £44 million to repay the i360 loan.