Council leader Bella Sankey demands ‘fairer deal for the city’
Council leader Bella Sankey has written to Chancellor Jeremy Hunt demanding he delivers a fair deal for Brighton & Hove in his Autumn Statement tomorrow (Wednesday 22 November).
The letter comes ahead of Mr Hunt’s statement which sets out the country's finances and the government's plans for tax and public spending.
In the last 10 years the Government has cut the council’s budget by a total of £120 million in real terms, making it increasingly difficult for the council to deliver services, including essential frontline services.
'Take urgent action on vital public services'
In the letter Councillor Sankey states: “I am writing to you ahead of the Autumn Statement that you are preparing to deliver later this month, to set out Brighton & Hove City Council’s current budget pressures and ask you to take urgent action to preserve the vital public services local people rely on by delivering a fair deal for Brighton & Hove.
“Without immediate action the council will need to make increasingly difficult decisions about services we will have to reduce or stop all together.”
Councillor Sankey highlights a number of areas where demand for our services have increased including adult social care, children’s services, children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and homelessness.
'Don't force the council to raise council taxes'
She also calls on Mr Hunt to take rising inflation into account when calculating local authority funding and calls on the Chancellor not to force the council to ‘increase council tax bills’.
Councillor Sankey ends the letter by telling the Chancellor: “You have an opportunity in the Autumn Statement to deliver a fair deal for Brighton & Hove to protect vital public services and to avoid increasing the tax burden on families still dealing with the cost-of-living crisis.
“I strongly urge you take it."