Bexley’s Labour Group of councillors last night tabled a motion calling upon Bexley’s Conservative councillors to ensure its development arm BexleyCo deliver affordable housing and reduce the use of consultants in order to avert cuts to budgets for children in care and school transport for disabled children.
The meeting to agree the council’s annual budget heard that contrary to assurances given to councillors in 2017, that developments provided by the council’s development company BexleyCo would deliver 35% affordable housing, that the council had commissioned consultants to demonstrate that no affordable housing could be provided at its development site at West Street in Erith despite the land being in the council’s ownership.
It also heard calls from Labour councillors to cut the consultancy budget by £500k in order to reduce planned reductions in budgets for supporting housing for children leaving care and to reduce the numbers of disabled children directly receiving transport to school.
In addition, Labour councillors raised concerns regarding the council’s financial position with a current £20 million shortfall in the 2021/22 budget and why savings including training sessions in hotels and the posting of paper based invoices had not been brought forward sooner. They also raised their ongoing concerns regarding council tax payers funding the costs of education for disabled children that the Government has refused to fund and is currently projected to cost the council in excess of £11 million over a three year period.
Cllr Joe Ferreira, Shadow Cabinet Member for Resources and Growth said:
Bexley’s Tories have overseen a housing crisis with the number of families in temporary accommodation rising by over 300% in 6 years costing the council the equivalent of a 6% increase to the council tax. It is therefore beyond belief that the council is arguing and paying consultants to demonstrate the reasons why they are not willing to provide any affordable housing on council land.
Cllr Wendy Perfect, Shadow Cabinet Member for Children and Adult Services said:
Through the budget process, we have raised our concerns about the sustainability of delivery the proposed changes for housing young people aged 16-25 in the council’s care given the housing pressures in the borough, and the continued push to reduce budgets for school transport for disabled children. It is therefore deeply regrettable that rather than reduce cuts in these areas, that Conservative councillors decided to continue spending this money on consultants.