Debate over "cut" to Brighton and Hove council homelessness fund

2:20pm Sunday 24th February 2013 in News By Tim Ridgway, Local government reporter

A war of words has broken out over an apparent cut to a homelessness budget.

Despite a raft of welfare changes by the Government and more people living on the streets, Brighton and Hove City Council is proposing to reduce its “preventing homelessness” spending by £19,000 in 2013/14.

The Green administration rejected claims it would impact on the service, adding it was actually increasing the total sum spent on tackling the issue by £1million.

But opposition councillors hit back, adding the extra money is only temporarily there to cover Government changes to council tax support and housing benefit.

Labour politicians have now announced they will look to reinstate the money, as well as adding a further £150,000 to the temporary accommodation fund, when the budget is finally decided in a crunch town hall meeting on Thursday.

Council leader Jason Kitcat said: “We’re not actually cutting the homelessness budget, we’re increasing it by £1million.

“Every year we have an inflationary increase which would be about 2% – that is the £19,000.

“This year we’re not |doing that which is why |it’s showing as a saving.

“The £1million is coming from savings elsewhere as we recognise the huge pressure on that service.

“We have had a massive growth on that so that’s why we’re putting money into it.”

But Conservative councillor Mary Mears said: “A cut is a cut.”

Town hall papers say the £1million extra funding will cover “risks of increased numbers of acceptances and rising prices of accommodation”.

It is thought the majority of this will cover “bad debt” – missed rent payments written off by the local authority.

Labour group leader Gill Mitchell said: “The council is bracing themselves for a big rise in homeless cases due to the Government’s welfare changes and we fully support measures to reduce homelessness in the city as far as possible.

“We will be moving an amendment to the Green budget to replace the funding for homelessness and temporary accommodation that’s currently earmarked for cuts.”

In the last 12 months, charities say seven people have died on the city’s streets.

The last official rough sleeper count in October was 43 – the highest for many years.

Comments(14)

A Watcher says...
4:30pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Once again the Greens hit the most vulnerable in the city while wasting £1.5m on a traffic scheme no-one wants and the police won't enforce.

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Somethingsarejustwrong says...
5:03pm Sun 24 Feb 13

A Watcher wrote:
Once again the Greens hit the most vulnerable in the city while wasting £1.5m on a traffic scheme no-one wants and the police won't enforce.
Ridiculous comment...

The Greens are useless, however funding homeless people is a short term measure, We should incarcerate the homeless drinking and drug using classes

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MIDNIGHT COWBOY says...
5:12pm Sun 24 Feb 13

What a terrible thing they want to do to people already at rock bottom and with the number of those people on the rise, the Green party should hang their heads in shame.

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
5:14pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Meanwhile the residents in the Lewes road area are being offered free Eco driving lessons to combat the congestion caused by the new bus and bike lane on the Lewes road.
There is no place for the poor and the needy in this town now the posh Greens are in charge.

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MIDNIGHT COWBOY says...
5:17pm Sun 24 Feb 13

I used to think the Green Party was possibly the way forward but would never vote for them since hearing about their selfish double standards.

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george smith says...
5:58pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
Meanwhile the residents in the Lewes road area are being offered free Eco driving lessons to combat the congestion caused by the new bus and bike lane on the Lewes road. There is no place for the poor and the needy in this town now the posh Greens are in charge.
As mentioned in Question Time last week, about white flight, they seem to have landed here and want it like Notting Hill, they have no intention of intergrating with the natives.

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Somethingsarejustwrong says...
6:03pm Sun 24 Feb 13

george smith wrote:
Maxwell's Ghost wrote:
Meanwhile the residents in the Lewes road area are being offered free Eco driving lessons to combat the congestion caused by the new bus and bike lane on the Lewes road. There is no place for the poor and the needy in this town now the posh Greens are in charge.
As mentioned in Question Time last week, about white flight, they seem to have landed here and want it like Notting Hill, they have no intention of intergrating with the natives.
George...not entirely clear on your point here, could you elaborate a bit please?

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Smartbloke says...
6:13pm Sun 24 Feb 13

The Argus - telling lies? Surely not...

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Maxwell's Ghost says...
6:54pm Sun 24 Feb 13

I know what you mean George. The people of Devon and Cornwall had the same thing when the posh Londoners arrived and wanted a county full of a museums of quaint fishing villages without any fishing yet the locals wanted new development and jobs.
The New Forest went the same way and now villages have no kids, no schools and no tradesmen, just empty dying villages of posh old folk.

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Brighton Visitor says...
10:30pm Sun 24 Feb 13

Not all the homeless are alcoholic, drug using slobs.

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Somethingsarejustwrong says...
6:53am Mon 25 Feb 13

Brighton Visitor wrote:
Not all the homeless are alcoholic, drug using slobs.
Correct...it's the 1% that need our help!

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ourcoalition says...
7:28am Mon 25 Feb 13

Mary Mears - "A cut is a cut".
Please remind me - what Party does she belong to!!!?
What was that - the Conservatives?
You must be mistaken......!

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whereisthe...? says...
9:08am Mon 25 Feb 13

"TORY Mary Mears says: “A cut is a cut.”


..and..

"In the last 12 months, charities say seven people have died on the city’s streets/ highest number on streets for years"


Words fail me.. No they don't..


Mary, you hypocritical murderer. People are DYING on the streets, and YOUR party is directly responsible. Keep cutting away....


How on earth do these monsters live with themselves?


Osbourne now screwed economy further, tries to pretend Triple AAA rating doesnt matter yet HE called for an early general election when was at risk under Brown (Who saved the rating). Even ex Tory chancellors are admitting the rating IS important, will take 10 yrs to recover!!


People, I suggest we do the same as OSBOURNE, CALL FOR AN EARLY GENERAL ELECTION and get these evil, incompetents OUT.

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Somethingsarejustwrong says...
9:46pm Mon 25 Feb 13

whereisthe...? wrote:
"TORY Mary Mears says: “A cut is a cut.”


..and..

"In the last 12 months, charities say seven people have died on the city’s streets/ highest number on streets for years"


Words fail me.. No they don't..


Mary, you hypocritical murderer. People are DYING on the streets, and YOUR party is directly responsible. Keep cutting away....


How on earth do these monsters live with themselves?


Osbourne now screwed economy further, tries to pretend Triple AAA rating doesnt matter yet HE called for an early general election when was at risk under Brown (Who saved the rating). Even ex Tory chancellors are admitting the rating IS important, will take 10 yrs to recover!!


People, I suggest we do the same as OSBOURNE, CALL FOR AN EARLY GENERAL ELECTION and get these evil, incompetents OUT.
Utter nonsense

Report this post »

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