The £3m grant that would cost our council £5.4m
At the Conservative Party conference this autumn ministers announced a new gimmick: a council tax freeze grant. If councils agreed to keep council tax at the same rate as the previous year they would...
View ArticleBudget shadow boxing
The end of January saw councillors pile into a full council meeting at Hove Town Hall. It was the final opportunity for full council motions and petitions before the budget council meeting on 23rd...
View ArticlePassing the first Green council budget
The next financial year in Brighton & Hove will see a first… the first ever Green council budget will be the basis of how our council runs. Last night was the budget council meeting where we...
View ArticleThe Very Existence of Local Government Hangs in the Balance
This blog is loosely based on comments I made to the Local Government Association’s Independent Group Annual Conference on 22nd October 2012. As Leader of the first and only Green-led council I am...
View ArticleThe draft Green budget for 2013/14 – protecting essential services
This week we have published our draft council budget proposals for 2013/14. Despite almost weekly changes from Government, we are continuing with our ‘open book’ approach and have published the bulk of...
View ArticleModernising the council and responding to Tory opportunism
During our term of office the Green administration has been working hard to keep lowering the council’s costs and reducing our carbon footprint. A major part of this work has been focussed on the...
View ArticleTwo letters lobbying Iain Duncan Smith
I’ve not had the time to blog much lately, apologies. You can catch up with my weekly column on The Latest or Brighton & Hove Independent websites. Below are two letters to Mr Duncan Smith...
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The crisis in local government funding: Why now is the time for a referendum...
There has been much political analysis in recent days over the ‘real’ reasons why I announced the Green administration’s plans for a social care referendum on a 4.75% council tax increase. Opposition...
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The crisis in local government funding: Why now is the time for a referendum...
This is the second and concluding part on why now is the time for the citizens of Brighton & Hove to be asked whether they will support a 4.75% tax increase to protect council social care services....
View ArticleStarting the 2015/16 budget process
The Coalition Government’s relentless cuts to councils, led by Secretary of State Eric Pickles, has created an extraordinary situation: Councillors of all parties across the country are united in their...
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