Councillor Amanda Evans, deputy leader of Brighton and Hove Labour party,  writes about the 2021 budget and who will end up paying for it, in Brighton and Hove News.

“With the autumn budget announced this week by the Chancellor and the COP26 climate summit starting, the government continues to borrow Labour’s clothing in talking about “levelling up” and “building back better and greener” after Covid.”

“While Rishi Sunak trumpeted that the budget represented “the largest increase this century” in funding across all departments, the response from sources as diverse as the Institute of Fiscal Studies, the (Conservative) chair of the Local Government Association, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves, and major union leaders has been less than enthusiastic.”

“Even leaving aside the most disappointing aspects…it is unclear whether the government will pay or expect councils to make more cuts to pay for promises made centrally.”

“One example is a plan to halve business rates for companies in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in a tax cut worth £1.78 billion.”

“But will the council be funded by the government to replace the money that we lose in reduced rates income, which pays for other services?”

“Rachel Reeves declared that “bankers sipping champagne on short-haul flights will be cheering” and I say: the rest of us are very worried.”

To read councillor Evans’ full article, click here.

Photo credit: Creative Commons.