Brighton and Hove City Council has revised proposals for the budget, due to be voted on next week, with more funding allocated for voluntary and community organisations.
The extra £510,000 was unallocated in the original budget proposals because the final government settlement was not known until last week.
The revised proposals include £100,000 for the Youth Advice Centre for homeless prevention, £13,000 to maintain childcare at Brighton Unemployed Centre and Oasis Creche, £40,000 to retain a youth-led grants programme and £50,000 of reallocated funding to the council’s supported employment service.
Over £300,000 is being held as a contingency to mitigate the continuing cost of living crisis.
Councillor Jacob Taylor, the council’s finance lead, said: “We have tried to be cautious in our assumptions for setting the budget for next year, but we’re pleased that some additional funds have been found to support vital services in the city.
“These funds will primarily be used to provide support directly to residents and families unable to pay bills and buy food due to the Tory cost of living crisis.
“They will also be used to maintain support for some of the brilliant voluntary and community sector organisations in the city.
“They do amazing work in supporting some of our most vulnerable residents and we look forward to continuing to work in partnership with them.
“In Brighton and Hove, we face the double-whammy of a Tory government that has continually under-funded local councils and a Green Party that overspent the 2022/23 budget by an unprecedented £3.5 million.
“We have had to take some difficult decisions in making these proposals, but we have achieved a balanced budget and avoided issuing a bankruptcy notice – the sad fate of some other councils in the country.”
Budget proposals will be debated and agreed at a meeting of full council next Thursday, February 22.
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