Brighton and Hove City Council set its budget and council tax at a lively meeting yesterday.
After Labour and the Greens voted together to defeat the Conservatives on two key sets of amendments, here’s what the party group leaders had to say.
Councillor Mary Mears said that the Conservatives accepted the opposition amendments and her party were voting for the revised budget rather than risking breaking the law by not setting a budget.
She criticised her opponents for forming a coalition of convenience.
After the meeting Green convenor Councillor Bill Randall said: “Although the Tories accepted our amendments, it remained 99 per cent their budget as they repeatedly told us.
“It was therefore unacceptable to the Green Party and the people we represent.”
Labour group leader Councillor Gill Mitchell said: “As a councillor, one has a duty to do the best for the city.
“So as well as holding the Tory administration to account as leader of the opposition, I must also, at times, put politics aside to fulfil my duties to the city; such as creating a legal budget.
“The Tories agreed to Labour’s alternative budget proposals, but we still didn’t feel we could vote for this unstable Tory budget, so we abstained, allowing a budget to be made.
“This prevented further meetings, back-door deals and potentially civil servants from Whitehall arriving in Brighton to force a budget upon us.
“This wouldn’t be democratic or responsible at all.”
Mitchell’s response is pathetic. If she thinks destroying the welfare state, privatising profit and nationalising the corporates debts is a bad thing then her responsibility to Brighton’s working people is to oppose the cuts. When Labour are so obsequious to the rich is it surprising that the Greens take over the progressive vote?
I’m afraid I feel that abstaining was about effectively supporting the Conservative budget but for a few tinkerings on a couple of issues.
How much of a problem would a one-week delay have truly been to setting a budget? One week! Another meeting would have been convened in one week.
Horsetrading would have continued. Nothing new.
Abstaining on a budget is cowardly.
I am particularly interested in someone explaining why a recent communication from Preston Park Labour Party stated that Green councilors voted AGAINST saving the Hove cycle lane. The communication was quite explicit about this and suggested (as far as i could see) that the Greens had also voted in favour of an increase in council tax and an increase in residents parking.
This seems to be in contradiction to what is reported on this web site, so which is correct.