Bristol City Council approves 5% council tax rise from April

The budget is the last to be overseen by outgoing mayor Marvin Rees

Bristol City Council has approved a budget that will see council tax rise by 5% from April.

Labour Mayor Marvin Rees struck a deal with the city's Conservative group, which saw the proposals approved by 33 votes to 18.

The largest party on the council, the Greens, voted against the plan, describing it as an "austerity budget".

The budget, approved at City Hall earlier, includes another £24m pounds worth of cuts and savings.

It comes a week after the council failed to approve a deal at the first time of asking after councillors voted against the plans during a meeting which lasted about three hours.

'Difficult times'

Labour made concessions to the Conservative party, including £2m for bus and other transport improvements, and pausing plans to start charging at some smaller council car parks that are currently free.

Plans to increase allotment holder rents have been deferred for 12 months.

Mr Rees said: "We have handled the city's money in difficult times, we have prioritised tackling inequality and deprivation.

"We have a finite amount of money, we have to balance the budget so we have to make savings.

"Like people in their everyday lives we have to make trade-offs. We can't have everything that we want and there are consequences, each delayed saving and every increase in spending has a consequence for somewhere else in the budget."

This is the last budget under Mr Rees and the mayoral system, with the authority to be run by committees from May.

The budget was set at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon

The Green Party did not propose any amendments, a move described by opponents as "petty and immature".

Councillor Emma Edwards, leader of the Green group, said: "We should be focussing on the most vulnerable people in the city, and what this austerity budget is doing to them.

"It would be nice to say a lot has changed since we last looked at this but looking at adult social care, and protecting vulnerable people, that has not changed.

"This remains an austerity budget. What is being brought back is some minor amendments that won't work."

Budget 'isn't perfect'

Councillor Mark Weston, leader of Conservative group, added: "The budget isn't perfect, it isn't one we would set in an ideal world.

"But after the discussions we have had we are prepared to support it.

"It has additional money for buses, traffic schemes, the cancellation of this year's allotment fee hike, and the deferring of charges for car parks.

"We're delighted they have been deferred and we'll have that fight again next year."

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