At tonight’s budget council meeting I will be proposing our Green Alternative Budget, setting our the Green vision of what we do if we were in charge.
However I recognise that, for now, we’re 13 councillors out of 54. Which is why, once the Green Group of Councillors had agreed our budget priorities, I (with our convenor Bill Randall) have sought to find common ground with Labour (who also have 13 councillors). Together we have produced joint amendments to the Conservative budget which reduce the harm of some of the changes, protect key services and support the council ahead of future cuts.
Due to negotiations going on for some time, they haven’t been presented as well as the Green budget, but I can point you to the amendments on the council agenda, and this spreadsheet excerpt laying them out as figures.
I’m pleased that we’ve been able to put tribalism to one side to improve what is a ghastly Tory budget implementing unnecessary cuts by the Tory-LibDem coalition government.
It’s a shame though that Labour present them on their website as the ‘Labour budget’ and not the joint work that they are. Also note that, at the time of writing, many figures on the Labour page are wrong. Refer to the amendments or the spreadsheet for the actual financial details.
Jason Kitcat 
2 replies on “On the joint Green/Labour budget amendments”
…..and what happened???? You voted AGAINST your own amendment proposlas with Labour , and Labour abstained, and we were happy to accept them!!!! What a shambles you lot were last night. Obviuosly aggrieved that we got 99% of our Budget through, you couldn’t stomach that, so you voted against what you had been proposing for 5 and a half hours during the meeting.
Labour were more of a shambles than you were, but at least they didn’t want to charge £500,000 of taxpayers’ money going in to renewable energy schemes feed-in-tariffs]like you. As I said on the night, we’ve ALREADY had firms knocking on our doors to put in solar panels on some of our south-facing municipal buildings, and that is down to us Conservatives who have taken the green agenda right away from you. That is why you don’t ever talk about sustainability issues any more, because you are a year behind what we have already done.
Having said that, me old mucker, you did take £1.1 out of the Local Transport Budget but didn’t put it anywhere near sutainable transport policies!!
The truth is, you know as well as I that Greens and Labour are uncomfortable tax-hiking bed partners and your left-wing consortium lasted for 5 and a 1/2 hours before spontaneously combusting.
No wonder your supporters turned on you last night. You were traitors to your own measures.
And when are you going to realise that any left-wing consortium/coalition/agreement/cuddling session will never nbe about you, but about the leader of tha labour group’s wish for power??? C’mon ,get real.
All of the measures you promoted in your amendments we voted for in the end, because we were relaxed enough to do so, 99% of our own proposals being part of the night’s undoubted success for us.
Shame you were just too tight to agree to a Council Tax cut, which is going down well with the public.
No doubt, you now CANNOT talk about your amendments seriously again, so we’re looking forward to our next debate with you and what your next crazy policy offerings might be.
in the meantime, I still like reading your blog and I still think you are a good bloke, so anyone out there who thinks I don’t like the Greens are wrong. At the moment , I absolutely LOVE THEM.
As you say : ‘cynical, irresponsible, gimmicky’ – yep, that’s you.
Ayas
See my reply here http://www.jasonkitcat.com/2011/03/green-view-201112-budget-council/comment-page-1/#comment-6445