Brighton & Hove City Council sets £924 million budget and agrees 4.99% increase in council tax for 2024/25

Councillors of Brighton & Hove City Council have approved the budget for next year which will see spending of £924.2 million across schools, council housing, public health, housing benefits and more than 400 council services.

The council has announced the budget will include investment of more than £27 million on essential frontline services, meaning “£2.5 million will be spent every day next year to provide services to residents, businesses and visitors”.

Councillors have also announced the new £614,000 Brighton & Hove Fairness Fund, created to support people in the city who are struggling. Council leaders say the fund will include help with food vouchers, discretionary payments, support for food banks and funds to communities groups in need.

This is a rise from £2.4 million a day as, according to the council, almost every key service the council provides next year will be more expensive to deliver due to rising inflation and increases in the demand for our services, especially adult social care.

Once spending on new housing, major regeneration projects, parks and leisure facilities, and other areas of capital investment are added, the total council spending next year will be £1.136 billion.

The spending also includes hundreds of other services including transport and highways, concessionary bus passes, libraries, museums, public health, and parks and opens spaces.

The council says this is the 15th year in a row it has had to address a real terms government cut to its funding, totalling more than £110 million since 2010.

Brighton & Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey said: “Despite us seeing the largest ever real terms cut in money from central government of £30 million, we’ve still been able to produce a balanced budget.

“Through careful management of our finances, we’ve been able to invest more than £27 million in key frontline services to ensure we can meet the growing needs of vulnerable adults and children as well as protecting services residents need everyday such as public toilets and clean streets.

“There will also be capital investment of over £210 million including £79 million on new and updated housing provision to deliver new build or purchased, affordable housing and temporary and emergency accommodation.”

Councillor Sankey added: “There will still be tough times ahead, but this budget ensures we’re delivering for our communities, our children and our elderly people.”

Councillors also agreed a council tax increase of 4.99% which includes 2% that must be spent on the rising cost and delivery of care for adults. This means council tax for an average Band D property increasing by £94.03 with £37.66 of this being for adult social care.

Jacob Taylor, Brighton & Hove City Council’s deputy leader and finance lead, said: “We’ve been forced to take extremely difficult decisions to produce a balanced budget and keep the council from declaring bankruptcy which unfortunately many other local authorities are facing.

“We’ve placed the council on a firm financial footing and have protected vital services to ensure we’re delivering our pledge to create a fair, inclusive and healthy city where people can thrive.

“This includes the new Brighton & Hove Fairness Fund of £614,000 to support people in the city who are struggling in this broken economy.”

The decisions were taken at a meeting of all councillors at the Budget Council which took place at Hove Town Hall on Thursday, 22 February.