Portsmouth City Council makes 'historic' cross-party agreement to push through controversial budget

Despite including a controversial maximum 4.99 per cent council tax increase and leaving hikes to parking charges largely untouched, the budget proposal received unanimous support.

Gerald Vernon-Jackson, the Lib Dem leader of the council said support from the opposition Conservatives, Labour, Portsmouth Independents and independents, showed they were all willing to work together in the best interests of the public.

‘We have shown we can work together to come up with a budget that works for the people of the city,’ he said. ‘I’m glad they all agreed with 99.9 per cent of the Liberal Democrat administration’s budget which is one that puts the interests of the public first.’

During his speech introducing the budget, Cllr Vernon-Jackson took aim at the government.

‘This budget speech was meant to be easy and simple,’ he said. ‘It was meant to be the first budget this council had seen in 20 years where there was no need to announce cuts and savings. And what a day that would have been. To say to residents who rely on council services, and to the staff who provide those services that there was no need to cut any services or jobs this year, a great day.

‘But the government have put paid to that.

‘I had hoped to look at either a freeze on the council tax, or to provide free school meals to all primary school pupils. But this is just not possible.

‘Since the government decided to junk our economy inflation has risen to a 40 year high, and the government grants that fund much of our work have not kept up with the government created inflation we are now all suffering from.’

Agreement on the cross-party motion was reached the night before the meeting, in last-minute negotiations.

‘This is something that’s never been done in the history of Portsmouth City Council, as far as we’re aware,’ independent group leader George Madgwick said. ‘I’m glad that members of the political groups were able to put national politics aside and come together at a local level.’

‘The Russian invasion of Ukraine has hit budgets hard with rising interest rates and inflation,’ councillor Simon Bosher, the leader of the Conservative group, said. ‘We offered to work with the Lib Dems who were clearly struggling to come up with a budget – as evidenced by the two-week delay in holding this meeting – and we’ve agreed something cross-party. That’s the right thing to do.’

Councillor Charlotte Gerada, the new Labour leader, said she hoped Tuesday’s agreement would encourage increased levels of co-operation between political groups.

‘It was difficult but we’ve put something together for the benefit of the people of Portsmouth by collaborating with each other,’ she said. ‘I would like to see more of that moving forward. It leads to better decisions. You have to be willing to work together in a council under no overall control.