Plans have been set out in Brighton and Hove City Council’s draft budget, which the Labour administration’s leadership have called “radical”.
The council said it will spend £112 million to build and buy new homes, expanding council and affordable housing across the city, and £10 million to repair roads.
There are plans to request £15 million from the government to expand council owned temporary accommodation.
The council said it also plans to grow its income from assets such as the Brighton Centre to spend on key services and said it will “modernise” council services to save money.
Councillor Jacob Taylor, deputy leader and cabinet member for finance and city regeneration, said his administration is putting housing first.
Councillor Jacob Taylor (Image: Supplied)
“This is a radical budget for an unprecedented crisis,” he said.
“This housing emergency did not happen by accident. It is the direct result of Conservative governments failing to build enough affordable homes and allowing rents to spiral out of control.
“Cities like ours are now paying the price, with families trapped in expensive, unsuitable temporary accommodation and councils left to pick up the continually growing bill.
“Under Labour, we are doing things differently. This budget puts housing first. It invests in social homes, cuts our reliance on private landlords, and ensures families have safe, stable places to live.
“We are not prepared to accept a broken system. We’re doing the hard work of reversing decades of Tory housing failures. We are fixing it.”
Councillor Bella Sankey, leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, described the budget as “bold and radical” that is “focused on digging our city out of the mess of Tory austerity”.
Bella Sankey
“Labour is stepping up,” she said.
“We are investing £112m in new homes and buybacks, and we are asking the government for the flexibility to reset the dial on housing. We are also responding to resident and business concerns with ongoing funding for mental health counselling in secondary schools, a new parking scheme in Hollingdean and a commercial graffiti-removing service.
“This budget puts our Labour values front and centre: fairness, dignity & an equal chance to succeed. We understand the scale of the problems people are facing, and we’re willing to make the bold decisions to fix them.”
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