BRIGHTON and Hove City Council’s budget impasse has moved no closer to being resolved following a key meeting.

The city council’s policy and resources committee effectively voted to keep all three budget options on the table when they met last night.

Green finance lead councillor Ollie Sykes made a “heartfelt plea” calling on his opposition councillors to give residents the opportunity to decide on a 5.9% council tax but Labour group leader, councillor Warren Morgan accused the Greens of seeking to renege on their responsibilities.

Coun Morgan labelled the budget process as a “déjà vu” of last year and said that it would be left to his party to set the budget.

So divided are councillors on the budget, it took around ten minutes to agree how to move the report to full council with councillors initially voting down all three proposed budgets of a 5.9% rise, 1.99% rise and a council tax freeze and seeking points of law to what each clause would commit them to.

Conservative group leader Geoffrey Theobald said the council had wasted four years in failing to overhaul council services, citing one provision for children with learning disabilities as the most expensive in the country.

Coun Theobald also criticised council officers for going against the “democratic will of the committee” in not including the “open and transparent” recommissioning of youth services following his notice of motion agreed at last month’s meeting.

The council’s monitoring officer Abraham Ghebre-Ghiorghis said officers had correctly followed procedure in recommending a review of youth services before the autumn.

Coun Sykes said that opposition to referendum-inducing council tax rises was “evaporating” across the country, citing Bedfordshire PCC’s proposal for a 15.8% rise being backed by 80% public support.

A separate YouGov poll commissioned this week however indicated 70% of resident opposed to the rise.

He said: “This is a heartfelt plea to let this through and let the people decide whether they want to pay more taxes to keep their services.

“We have been accused in the press of dirty tricks and cynical politics which I think in the world of psychology would be called projection.

“I think asking for taxes in the same year as seeking electoral mandate would normally be described as political suicide.”

Coun Morgan said: “This is another budget with an above inflation increase for residents with below inflation pay rises, another political gesture rather than responsible government.

“That they [the Greens] have deliberately and consciously chosen children’s services for cuts simply to blackmail people into backing their 6% increase is appalling and shameful.”