Opposition councillors have continued to criticise Labour for a lack of transparency over its sudden U-turn on charging to use seafront toilets.
Just six days after Brighton and Hove City Council voted to pass its annual budget, deputy leader Tim Rowkins announced that Labour would not bring in the 50p toilet tax at five “high footfall” toilets on the seafront.
The measure – aimed at raising revenues totalling £70,000 a year – had been one of the most controversial aspects of the budget for the 2026-27 financial year which starts next month.
The council said: “The decision made by the administration not to proceed with charging for public toilets will be managed within the service’s budget management processes and reported as part of the council’s regular budget reports to cabinet.
“This is in line with the council’s processes for managing budgets throughout the year.”
The council said that the decision was made by the Labour administration in the week after the budget was set, on Thursday 26 February. It was announced on Wednesday 4 March.
When asked who signed it off, the council said that there was no need to sign off the decision because it was being managed within the budget management process.
The cabinet receives update reports on various aspects of the budget throughout the year including information about revenue shortfalls and planned cost savings that are not being achieved.
The Green leader of the opposition, Steve Davis, said: “While we’re pleased to see that residents will no longer be subject to Labour’s toilet charges, this raises serious questions about the budget-setting process.
“Less than a week after Labour councillors voted for this cuts-filled budget, we are now finding out that a £70,000 savings proposal is suddenly not viable.
“If this wasn’t properly costed, what other parts of the budget are we now going to find out don’t add up?
“This administration is already borrowing millions just to cover day-to-day spending and now they’ve blown an extra £70,000 black hole in the budget with no plan to fill it.
“Labour needs to finally be honest with the public about the council’s dire financial situation and it’s time they finally stood up to their government and demanded the fair funding our residents deserve.”
The Conservative group leader and deputy leader, Alistair McNair and Anne Meadows, were not satisfied with the council’s response, having presented a budget amendment to stop the proposed charges.
In a joint statement, they said that there were tight legal deadlines for setting the council’s budget, with Labour and opposition councillors having spent weeks preparing for it.
They said: “What other services are now going to be cut? What fees will be increased?
“Brighton and Hove City Council has never made such a U-turn on their own budget in our memory. It raises serious questions about the whole budget process and Labour’s lack of transparency which need answers now.
“Otherwise, residents will lose faith in our council’s ability to manage our finances – as might the government.
“And just at a time when our budget has never been so tight and when so many people’s lives are being affected by Labour’s cuts.”
When the cabinet met last month, before the annual budget council meeting, senior Labour councillors voted to scrap parking charge increases in four zones from its draft budget, describing the proposal as a typographical error.
And let’s hope that they contract a competent cleaning company to look after them not like the two over charging national companies they contracted before that didn’t have a clue on how look after and maintain these facilities or train there staff efficiently enough to carry out even basic tasks.