Deadlock as Bristol City Council fails to approve budget

The budget is the last to be overseen by mayor Marvin Rees whose role is being scrapped in May

Bristol City Council has failed to approve its budget for the next financial year.

Councillors voted against the plans during a full council meeting at City Hall which lasted about three hours.

Outgoing Labour mayor Marvin Rees's final budget proposed more than £24m of cutbacks and a 4.99% council tax hike.

Labour group leader Tom Renhard said he was "disappointed that councillors chose to play politics with this budget".

The budget is the last to be overseen by Mayor Marvin Rees whose role is being scrapped in May.

'Cruel and unrealistic'

It includes £9m from Clean Air Zone charges to pay for subsidised buses and roadworks, increases in register office fees and less money for signage and wayfinding information.

Requiring a majority to pass, both the Conservative and Green Party groups voted against next year's financial plan.

Green Party group leader, Emma Edwards, said: "This Labour administration's final budget, which they will not be around to see carried out, is full of cruel and unrealistic cuts to frontline services such as adult social care.

"On top of this, the Labour party nationally is failing to offer any actual alternative to austerity politics.

"Any potential new Labour government has not promised to increase funding for local Government, especially those led by administrations that have spent millions of pounds of taxpayer's money on vanity projects chasing a failed model of economic growth.

"Only the Green party is committed to implementing a wealth tax on the super-rich, and overhauling council tax and business rates which are both regressive.

"We were disappointed that much of this meeting was spent attacking the Greens, who sit in opposition, rather than focusing on the people of Bristol who will be affected by this Labour budget."

'Ambitious budget'

The authority will reconvene in a week's time to try to break the impasse.

Speaking about the budget, Mr Renhard said it was disappointing councillors were "coming up with a wide array of excuses to not support it".

"I sincerely hope that councillors see sense and support this progressive, ambitious budget for Bristol at the next opportunity."