News / Politics
Blame game as budget not approved
Green Party councillors have refused to vote for Bristol’s new budget, calling its cuts to frontline services “cruel and unrealistic”.
At a full council meeting on Tuesday evening, the Greens joined the Tories and Lib Dems to block the passing of the budget for the next financial year, with Labour saying that the Greens had “abdicated their responsibility as councillors”.
It means that there will be a second meeting on Wednesday to vote on the proposals, with a legal requirement for the council to set a balanced budget by March 11.
is needed now More than ever
Bristol’s Labour group leader, Tom Renhard says that the Greens “can’t be trusted to do what’s right for the city” – photo: Rob Browne
The current proposals include £490m for schools and a £3.1bn 30-year housing plan aiming to build 3,000 new homes by 2029.
Bristol’s Labour group leader, Tom Renhard, said: “I’m proud Labour’s put forward its eighth budget for our city. This is a balanced budget that’s ambitious for Bristol and protects the services that matter most.
“I’m disappointed that councillors chose to play politics with this budget, coming up with a wide array of excuses to not support it. It’s shown that once again, Labour are the only adults in the room.
“This budget continues Labour’s work protecting front line services from Tory austerity, will see over 3,000 more council homes in the next five years, and protects Bristol’s worst-off by giving them up to a 100 per cent discount on their council tax bills.
“Despite yet another effort from the Tories to cut the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, under Labour leadership, Bristol remains the only major UK city to offer this level of support.
“The Green Party have abdicated their responsibility as councillors today. Voted against funding for parks and playgrounds, voted against the main budget and had no alternatives to offer.
“At a previous budget, the Green Party proposed to cut funding for flood defences, with no clear plan to replenish the funds.
“It is clear they can’t be trusted to do what’s right for the city and take responsibility for the financial challenges Bristol is facing.
“Labour’s in politics to make a difference, not excuses. If you absent yourself from the entire process, unwilling to operate in the country’s political reality of continued austerity, you may as well not be here.”
Green group leader Emma Edwards said she was “disappointed that much of this meeting was spent attacking the Greens” – photo: Rob Browne
But Green Party councillors have criticised Labour for continuing Conservative austerity.
Emma Edwards, leader of the Green group in Bristol, said: “This Labour administration’s final budget, which they will not be around to see carried out, is full of cruel and unrealistic cuts to frontline services such as adult social care.
“On top of this, the Labour party nationally is failing to offer any actual alternative to austerity politics.
“Any potential new Labour government has not promised to increase funding for local Government, especially those led by administrations that have spent millions of pounds of taxpayer’s money on vanity projects chasing a failed model of economic growth.
“What then, is the actual difference between Labour and the Conservatives?
“Only the Green Party is committed to implementing a wealth tax on the super-rich, and overhauling council tax and business rates which are both regressive.
“They charge lower income households and small businesses a much larger percentage of their income than wealthy households and large businesses.
“We were disappointed that much of this meeting was spent attacking the Greens, who sit in opposition, rather than focusing on the people of Bristol who will be affected by this Labour budget.”
Bristol mayor Marvin Rees sits between council finance director Denise Murray and chief exec Stephen Peacock – photo: Rob Browne
Main photo: Rob Browne
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