Portsmouth Labour Councillors
Portsmouth Labour Councillors

Today Portsmouth’s Labour Group set out its budget proposals to try and make the Lib Dem administration be more ambitious for Portsmouth and create a city which works for everyone.

Setting out Labour proposals which would put £2.5m back into the council’s budget to invest in services and projects which meet the city’s challenges head on, the group pushed for the establishment of a rebuilding communities programme to revitalise their neighbourhoods and bring the city’s high streets back from the brink.

Proposals also included improving planning and tackling issues around HMOs, both issues coming up on the doorstep.

The boost to public services would be achieved by reinstating Victory Energy, a council backed initiative which would generate income for the local authority and provide the choice of a green energy supplier for everybody in our city.

Introducing the Labour budget, Cllr Stephen Morgan said:

“Labour want Portsmouth people to live and work in a compassionate city with a strong local economy, in a place where they feel engaged, respected, included and supported and where they are happy and have hope for the future.

Our budget amendment puts ambition back at the heart of the city’s vision for Portsmouth, rebuilding our communities, the neighbourhoods where we live, and aims to bring our high streets back from the brink.

These are sensible, well thought out proposals which ensure we create a city which works for everyone”.

Asking political parties to work across the council to meet the challenges ahead, the council group leader added:

“I urge colleagues across this chamber to put party politics to one side and back our budget putting the best interests of the great people of Portsmouth first”.

Between 2010 and 2020, councils will have lost 60p out every pound the government provides to our communities and the services we all rely on. Today’s debate was shrouded in this government’s aggressive cuts to the local authority as suggested by the Labour group leader.

Councillor Judith Smyth who seconded the amendment drew attention to the lack of coherent strategy behind the budget and pointed out that the Tory amendment was a ragbag full of disconnected projects. Labour’s approach is to consult and engage the community from across Portsmouth to address challenges faced by those hit hardest by 10 years of Tory and Lib Dem austerity. We want to work with people rather than doing unto others.

Speaking on the reintroduction of Victory Energy, Judith said;

“Portsmouth would be foolish and demonstrate a lack of ambition and confidence in the future if we let this opportunity to protect our public services go. We would also be able to significantly reduce our carbon footprint, reduce fuel poverty and bring jobs for local people. Innovative Labour councils elsewhere are making this model work for their communities and investing in local services as a result”.

Labour voted against Tory budget proposals and voted in favour of reinstating Victory Energy to bring in £2.5million back into the councils budget to counteract austerity. Regrettably both Tories and Lib Dems voted down Labour’s ambitious plans for Portsmouth. After votes, Labour supported the administration’s budget which contained a number of Labour proposals and was passed unanimously by full council.

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