Brighton And Hove City Council Budget Agreed For 2022-23

The biggest annual financial decision for Brighton & Hove has been confirmed after councillors met to decide the 2022-2023 budget, outlining funding for more than 700 services. 

The final budget package for the city was worth more than a billion pounds, with much of that including ringfenced funding for schools, public health and council housing.

It also included the need to make over £10m savings as part of measures to and address a budget gap of around £16million resulting from to tackle the multiple pressures affecting local government finance nation-wide.  

At the meeting, councillors voted to increase council tax by 2.99% in order to help meet the huge budget gap caused by continually escalating costs and rising demand for services. 

This includes an adult social care precept of 1% which was also agreed in order to help meet the increased need for vital care services for elderly and disabled residents as well as those with mental health needs.  

Speaking about the decision to increase council tax, including the adult social care precept, council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said:  

“In this year’s budget we have sought to protect front line services. The city’s budget is under enormous pressure both as a result of a decade of government reductions and because of the rising cost of children’s and adult social care.  

“We’re prioritising ways to keep public services running and tackle the cost-of-living crisis, providing 90 additional council homes and prioritising the council’s welfare support fund so we can provide emergency help with food and bills."

Main bullet points of 2022-23 budget 

• Councillors decided how to allocate more than £1billion
• The budget includes an increase of the council’s element of council tax of 3.99%
• This is a council tax increase of 1.99% plus an adult social care precept of 2% to meet rising costs and increased demand.
• Council Tax currently provides less than £1 in every £5 of what we spend on running services in our city
• On budget night, a new amendment was passed by all three political groups to increase funding and support for libraries, street lighting, investment in litter bins and to promote plastic recycling.