City fails to set a budget for 2014 – 2015

City councillors fail to agree a budget for the next financial year following a six hour meeting last night.

All three political parties on the city council, could not agree on the level of council tax increase for 2014-15.

A suggestion by the leader of the council, Cllr Jason Kitcat to reconvene on Thursday, March 6 was supported by Labour but opposed by the Conservatives. One of the few successful votes of the evening.

If an agreement is not reached by March 11 a budget will be imposed on the city by Eric Pickles MP, the Local Government Minister.

An ammendement by the Conservatives to reinstate the annual grant to Pride of £25,000 for the year 2014-15 was passed with the support of Labour who withdrew their own ammendment following the Conservative ammendment being successfully moved. However the overall budget was not agreed and councillors will return next Thursday to try and thrash out an agreement.

The Green Party maintained their position over not agreeing to reinstate the £25,000 grant to Pride.

Former Pride trustee, Cllr Geoffrey Bowden, Chair of Economic Development & Culture Committee spoke for the Greens in opposing the grant to Pride.

Cllr Bowden, said: “Pride is not a sacred cow” he went on to make a case for using any spare finance for security at the Gay Village Street Party in his Queens Park Ward over the Pride weekend.

Before being elected to political office in May 2011 Councillor Bowden was a former volunteer press officer and board member of Pride (South East) Ltd. He was involved with Pride during the stormy period in 2009-2010 when decisions made by the Pride board included the employment of a Chief Executive the charity could not afford and the engagement of a new production company to run Preston Park which eventually led Pride to crease trading in March 2012 with debts of over £200,000, caused through rising production costs and general mis-management.

Charity Commission records indicate that Cllr Bowden resigned from the charity in October 2010 well before Pride ceased trading. The Pride board at the time, which was chaired by Robert Clothier (aka Lady James) secured a £20,000 crisis loan from Brighton Council which remained unpaid when Pride (South East) ceased trading in March 2012.