Labour’s finance chief in Brighton and Hove, introduced the council’s annual budget this evening (Thursday 27 February) at Hove Town Hall.
Councillor Jacob Taylor outlined his party’s aims at a meeting of the full council to approve a total budget of about £1.1 billion for the 2025-26 financial year which starts in April.
Councillor Taylor, the deputy leader of the council, said: “We’re a responsible council and we’ve published a balanced budget.”
Councillors were also due to vote on a 4.99 per cent increase in council tax bills for the coming financial year. A band D bill is expected to go up to £2,455.79 including the precept for police and fire services.
Councillor Taylor said: “This evening, we’re all performing one of the most important functions we have as a local councillors: debating and voting on our budget for the forthcoming year.
“Since being elected in May 2023, this council has been laser-focused on improving services and creating a better Brighton and Hove for everyone – and this budget continues on exactly that path: actually delivering for residents.
“It’s worth recapping the background. In September 2024 the council published a budget update, which forecast a budget gap of £36.7 million.
“On Wednesday 18 December we received the provisional local government settlement from government, following the autumn statement. That autumn statement was one of the most significant budget decisions in post-war economic history.
“This budget is notable because of the scale of the revenues being raised for public services – £40 billion – which is the largest increase in investment for public services a single budget since 1970 in real terms.
“It turned the page on 14 years of Tory austerity – and the associated death-spiral of real-terms cuts, rising inequality and increasingly fractured communities. It offers some hope: a belief in people and society and a chance for a fairer country.
“It did so by acknowledging a core fact – that to build a fair society, you need strong and accessible public services which, in turn, need to be funded properly.
“Importantly, the final local government settlement saw a real-terms increase in core spending power for local government of 4.3 per cent.
“The increases in funding, as well as actions to address service pressures, have reduced our published budget gap from £36 million to £16 million which is reflected in the budget we have before us today.
“This is a significantly improved position – and I am pleased that the Labour government seems to recognise the importance of local government and the need to provide more sustainable funding.
“I’m also pleased that they’ve announced a longer-term review of funding and that they are likely to provide medium-term settlements going forward.”
As a result, he said, the day-to-day services provided by the council – those paid for from the General Fund – would need to be set at almost £265 million – up from just over £246 million.
Councillor Taylor said that this was an increase of more than £18 million while capital spending – the big ticket projects – in the coming year would total about £246 million.
These would include work on restoring the Madeira Terraces, building a new King Alfred Leisure Centre and refurbishing roads, parks and seafront infrastructure.
Councillor Taylor said: “We are investing £1.2 million of revenue to finally establish food waste recycling.”
He said that the council would be also be able to recycle a wider range of waste.
The budget would also freeze parking charges – for permits, on-street places and in council-owned car parks – and this was the first freeze in years.
There would also be an extra £250,000 to support the look and feel of the city and funding to extend the mental health counselling pilot in schools
He also pledged cash to maintain council-run nurseries, keep all public toilets open and continue investment in parks and play areas.
He added: “Lastly, we are asked to approve the Housing Revenue Account which includes £78 million of capital investment in new homes, buy-backs, repairs and regeneration.
“Now, I want to turn to a question that has been asked by residents … what is the true cost of the i360 to the council?
“And we have to be honest and transparent with the public – the answer is £2.2 million per year for the next 14 years.
“That’s £2.2 million missing from our revenue budget versus what was promised – the Green Party tax that residents will have to pay for years to come.
“Before I finish, I want to respond directly to the really important campaign that we’ve seen on SEND (special educational needs and disabilities) short breaks. We have heard your voices loud and clear.
“We are a responsible council, investing in and maintaining key services, delivering on residents’ priorities, with a government turning the corner.”
