Labour has vowed to block Brighton and Hove Green Party’s attempt to raise council tax by nearly 5% as it prepares for the council’s budget showdown on Thursday.

Labour leader Warren Morgan said the money put aside for a referendum on a 4.75% tax increase – thought to be about £900,000 – would be used to support council services.

In particular he said it would be used to fund Able & Willing, a council supported business that employs people with learning disabilities.

Laying out his party’s objections to the Green budget, Coun Morgan said: “The Green budget is a political one, we will stop their costly council tax referendum and block the unaffordable
increase, using the money instead to reverse cuts to social care and maintain services – like park cleaning at weekends – that the Greens have said they will cut.

“Our focus is on people not politics.”

A decision on the budget will be made at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Coun Warren also said Labour would be offering an amendment to the budget to reverse potential cuts in grant funding to dozens of community groups across the city.

He added: “These community grants are essential to keeping many organisations’ heads above water. “It’s wrong at a time like this to hit community groups with cuts.”

Coun Morgan said Labour would suspend funding for the Green’s tree planting scheme while putting another year’s funding into the annual Pride street parade.

He said: “We think it is essential to keep these services to children going, instead of adding yet more money to the travellers’ budget as the Green’s are proposing.

“We think these are the right prioritiesfor the city and residents, we would like to do more to focus spending on jobs, homes, and schools, fixing potholes and helping people struggling
with the cost of living, but that will have to wait till after the elections in 400 days time when we hope to see the endof this Green council.”