COUNCILLORS are being urged to spare the pain on council staff and taxpayers by passing a balanced budget at the first attempt.

Uncertainty still surrounds the Brighton and Hove City Council with just a day to go before the crunch meeting.

Councillors are hopeful a choice between a council tax freeze, a 1.99% rise or a referendum-inducing 5.9% rise can be made on Thursday night.

But the belief is far from universal with some councillors raising the possibility that Government officials could be brought to take over in if councillors cannot agree before March 11.

Council leader Jason Kitcat said he “very much hoped” the budget would be resolved on Thursday.

He said: “We continue to have cross-party talks; it is challenging given the very firm position many are taking but we will keep talking and nothing is certain until the final vote.”

Deputy Labour group leader Gill Mitchell said there would be plenty of discussions between groups on proposed amendments bef-ore the meeting.

She added: “The last budget before an election is always a lot more high-profile, the stakes are higher and the election will certainly be on people’s minds but we owe a duty to the residents of Brighton and Hove to set a fair budget and that has to come first.”

Conservative group leader Geoffrey Theobald said: “We would very much hope that the Labour party would vote for a council tax freeze bearing in mind their threshold budget is almost seven times the current rate of inflation.”

But his Conservative colleague Graham Cox said he would be “very surprised” if the parties reached agreement, and raised the prospect of a caretaker administration of council officers and Department of Communities and Local Government officials stepping in for two months before the election.

Coun Cox said: “If it was possible to have a referendum choice between 5.9% rise and a freeze budget then I’m still open for that but I don’t think that the votes are there, I don’t think we have enough councillors to make that happen.”

Independent councillor Christina Summers describ-ed the current budget process as a “mess” with three separate budgets effectively going before full council.

She said: “Officers are wondering how on earth to deal with three budgets and all the amendments submitted. The budget is just an administrative process; of course it’s important, but it’s a show really.

“All we are trying to do is pass a balanced budget and then all the parties and the media can make their statements and then the real work starts again; officers will still have opportunities to amend the budget if there are services that are really going to suffer.”

GMB union branch secretary Mark Turner said he believed that the budget would be passed on the night with the likely compromise a 1.99% council tax increase.

He said staff had un- certainty surrounding their positions since November and prolonging that uncertainty, particularly a month into the new fiscal year with a referendum vote, would be unfair.

He added: “I can’t see the same as last year happening when they had to come back; there is too much riding on it in terms of services and the election.

“I don’t think any party will want to be seen as not being able to cajole and pass a budget.”

WHAT THE TAX OPTIONS ARE

Council tax option one – backed by Green administration

A Green-proposed 5.9% council tax increase would mean Band D residents would pay £1,390.01 for the Brighton and Hove City Council element of the council tax bill - an increase of £77.43 on this year.

The council tax rise would leave a £20.56 million funding gap.

The Green administration say only under a 5.9% rise would there be full protection of children’s centres, community grants and the voluntary sector, youth services, early years childcare and community safety for women and girls, with public toilets unaffected and no cuts to Cityparks or Cityclean budgets.

Council tax option two – backed by Conservative opposition

The Tories propose a council tax freeze, which would mean band D residents would continue to pay £1,312.58 a year for the Brighton and Hove City Council element of the tax bill.

A council tax freeze would leave a funding gap of £25.77 million and would entitle the council to the Government’s council tax freeze grants of £1.27 million – the equivalent of a 1% increase in council tax.

A freeze would require £918,000 additional recurrent savings compared to the 1.99% budget.

Conservative amendments would protect funding for voluntary groups working with vulnerable young people and respite for disabled children and their families, freezing parking charges, saving the mayor’s staff, keeping at-risk suburban public toilets open, continuing Pride Community Parade funding and planting new trees.

The amendments would be funded by modernising the Cityclean refuse and recycling service and reducing senior management costs.

Council tax option three – backed by Labour

Labour proposes a 1.99% increase in council tax.

This would mean Band D residents would pay £1,338.68 a year for the Brighton and Hove City Council element of the council tax bill.

The effect of this would be an increase of £26.10 on this year.

The council tax rise would leave a budget gap of £24.85 million.

Labour’s amendments would seek to save any children’s centres at risk as part of a 2% budget, save mayor’s support staff, prevent proposed cuts to the voluntary sector and public toilets and blocking an increase in car parking charges.

The amendments would be funded from the communications, senior management and sustainability budgets as well as the £1 million in council tax referendum costs.

REFERENDUM IN NUMBERS

When would a council tax referendum be necessary?

If a majority of councillors vote in favour of a 5.9% council tax rise. Under legislation brought in by the current Government, any council tax rise of 2% or more has to be ratified by public referendum.

How much would staging a referendum cost?

The costs of holding a referendum vote will be kept to a minimum by holding it on the same day as the local and national elections.

The estimated cost of the local elections is £250,000 with a referendum vote estimated to cost and additional £100,000.

What happens if residents vote no against the referendum?

A substitute budget, the details of which could be agreed at Thursday’s meeting, will be in place and will become the council’s default budget.

What will be the costs of a no vote?

A no vote would set the council back £1.85 million including £967,000 costs of the substitute budget, £727,000 costs from delaying the savings until after May 7 and £157,000 for rebilling, refunding council tax to those who have fully paid and amending council tax accounts.