Brighton and Hove City Council is expected to put up council tax by 4.99 per cent next week when the budget is up for debate.
The Labour leader of the council Bella Sankey said that the proposed increase was necessary to put the council on a sustainable financial footing.
The decision is due to be made at a meeting of the full council, known as the annual budget council, at a meeting at Hove Town Hall on Thursday 26 February.
An increase of 2 per cent will be earmarked to go towards the burgeoning cost of providing adult social care while a rise of 2.99 per cent will support other services.
Together, the two parts of the increase amount to 4.99 per cent or just shy of £2 a week for a typical band D property.
More than 96,000 properties are expected to pay council tax next year, generating about £210 million towards the council’s £1 billion budget.
Councillor Sankey told cabinet colleagues last week said that the council was “determined to remain sustainable” but faced the same pressures as other councils across the country.
She said: “This is our council plan in financial form, targeting investment where it matters most, tackling homelessness and inequality, driving climate action and improving neighbourhood services.
“The challenge is real. We began this process with a £25 million (budget) gap next year and over £80 million across the medium term (the next three years).
“Our reserves remain among the lowest of any unitary authority so returning to financial sustainability is our number one priority.
“We’re delivering £12.4 million in savings and launching a transformation programme to close the medium-term gap through reducing temporary accommodation costs, managing social care demand, increasing our income as a council and investing in digital and service redesign.”
Councillor Sankey defended the request to the government for £15 million in “exceptional financial support” – or an “emergency bailout”, according to the Local Government Association.
She said that it was not extra funding but would give the council the flexibility to protect services and build reserves.
Green councillor Sue Shanks said that it is a “sad time for local government” as she recalled happier times when she worked in the sector in the 1980s and 90s, a time of youth clubs and open libraries.
Councillor Shanks said: “Things have been dire obviously since the austerity of 2010 but we all thought that Labour would bring a change. It’s what they stood for – change.
“However, now Brighton and Hove plans to borrow £15 million – and a record number of councils do the same.
“The council is paying an average of £1 in every £5 of serviced debt to the Public Works Loan Board which is actually the Treasury.
“It’s a ridiculous system. The government makes money out of lending money to local government to fund public services.”
The annual budget council meeting is due to take place at Hove Town Hall at 4.30pm on Thursday 26 February. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
Now there’s a surprise, every year it’s the same old thing! Where do these people think that we keep get the money from?, the council must see us as some kind of cash cow! Mine is already £3,000 a year and has been going up almost 5% every year! I wouldn’t mind but the council is run by a bunch of muppets and I feel their vision for the city is totally different one to mine, they are slowly but surely running it into the ground and turning the city into a dump, there’s no pride left living in this city anymore!
A useful template copied from a local whatsapp group
Subject Conditional Acceptance of Proposed 4.99% Council Tax Increase Conditional Acceptance of Proposed 4.99% Council Tax Increase
Dear Councillors
i write regarding the proposed 4.99% increase in Council Tax.
As a resident and taxpayer, I am prepared to accept and pay this increase on the strict understanding that the Council operates in full compliance with its statutory and fiduciary duties.
My acceptance is therefore conditional upon the Council’s demonstrable adherence to the following legal and governance principles:Full Compliance with All Relevant Local Government Legislation Including, but not limited to, the Local Government Acts and all associated statutory instruments governing financial management, consultation, accountability, and decision-making.Adherence to the Nolan Principles of Public Life Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty, and Leadership must be actively demonstrated in all Council functions and decision-making processes.Compliance with the Gunning Principles (Fair Consultation Standards) Any consultation must :Occur at a formative stage,Provide sufficient information for intelligent consideration,Allow adequate time for response, andDemonstrate conscientious consideration of responses received.Observance of the Best Value DutyAs required under Section 3 of the Local Government Act 1999, the Council must secure continuous improvement in the way its functions are exercised, having regard to economy, efficiency, and effectiveness.Fair Parking Policies and Charging StructuresParking enforcement and charging regimes must be proportionate, transparent, revenue-neutral in purpose, and demonstrably fair. Charges should not operate as disguised taxation nor disproportionately burden residents and local businesses.Cessation of Non-Essential or “Vanity” ProjectsAll expenditure should be clearly justified against essential service provision. Discretionary projects lacking demonstrable community mandate or cost-benefit justification should be suspended.Full Financial TransparencyClear, accessible publication of:Detailed budgets and spending breakdowns,Senior officer remuneration and expenses,Contracts and procurement decisions, Borrowing levels and long-term liabilities.Democratic Legitimacy for Controversial Projects and Governance Changes.
Any major capital project, regeneration scheme, or alteration to leadership or governance structures should be subject to a binding resident referendum where material public concern exists.
Compliance with the Companies Act 2006 (Where Applicable) In respect of any incorporated entities, arms-length bodies, or trading companies controlled by the Council, directors must comply fully with their statutory duties, including the duty to promote the success of the company and exercise independent judgment.Compliance with the Consumer Rights Act 2015 in Service Delivery ContextsWhere the Council provides chargeable services and operates in a commercial capacity, it must ensure services are delivered with reasonable care and skill, transparency, and fairness consistent with consumer protection standards.I respectfully request written confirmation that the Council acknowledges these governance and legal obligations and will continue to operate in accordance with them.Residents are not merely revenue sources; we are stakeholders whose trust depends upon lawful governance, transparency, and demonstrable value for money.
I look forward to your considered response within 28 days.
Yours faithfully,
Your Full Name, address ect
Interesting JamesK – do you think that they do not comply and if so which ones ?
It’s an interesting concept, but it is a nonsense letter, legally. Very Sovereign Citizen.
Shanks is being disingenuous again, unfortunately further demonstrating the local Green Party’s financial incompetence.
The £51m owed to the PWB in bad debt lands squarely at the feet of the Greens, accepting a bad deal imo the i360. She also misunderstands that the money from the PWB is, itself, borrowed money from gilts, so of course it attracts interest.
Nobody is going to get a reply to that twaddle
Quelle surprise! What enhanced goods and services can we expect for a 4.99% rise in council tax?
If the answer is none, I wish to cancel my free 2-year trial of Bella Sankey’s cabinet council now thanks.
It’s just not delivering and I never voted for it.
If Labour were quite happy to postpone local elections, we shouldn’t need to wait for an election to see the back of the local Labour administration.
To rein you back a bit, Tracy, Brighton has never been part of the proposed postponed elections. This Cabinet has delivered quite a lot, factually, despite being financially constrained more than any other previous council.
In the words of Cilla Black “surprise, surprise!”
Last year they raised council tax to a similar percentage. Yet the council still are in debt and want to recoup it any way they can including council tax.
Let’s just outline a few things that the council have reduced or cut in the last year, money they could have made back but didn’t, as well as the services they have or expect to cut further too:
– Community youth & mental health services. (Including funding for the non- for profit or charity sector that provide a lot of these to the city)
– Library’s and council owned buildings providing services, being closed.
– Bin collection and disposal going from at least once a week to twice a month.
– Road repairs and maintenance at an all time low. Roads still in poor condition including huge amounts of pot holes and flooding during adverse weather conditions.
– Less police presence on the streets and able to answer emergencies.
– Holding the companies/ previous companies accountable for the debt that they have not repaid like Royal Albion Hotel and i360.
– Street, permit and council run car parking bringing in millions of pounds of profit every year, yet they are set to increase prices of some parking moving forward.
How can the council expect to increase council tax yet again trying to recoup lost money and revenue. Yet just some of the services I listed above have been cut and closed to save money… how can they justify charging people more for less and less. Yet also release information that confirms where they make money and profit.
How about we cut back on some of the deadweight in and running the council on high paid wages and expenses? That may not be needed, paid far too much with lack of action and implementing and that ends up having no impact to the city? Maybe that money could be used for things that are needed and implemented in the city? Or even making those companies that owe the council huge sums of money pay up or face the consequences…
Have they even considered it, thought about any of that, meaning they could recoup and save the council some money to then plug the debt or reinvest it back into the city and services that they are quick to cut?
Just shows how far removed these people are from the reality of this city!
To say I’m shocked or surprised would be a complete lie.