Councillor Clare Turnbull makes critical points about Canterbury City council's proposed budget in Green Group's first ever Budget Response
At the Canterbury City Council Meeting held on Thursday 22nd February, Councillor Clare Turnbull provided a Green Group response to the proposed budget put forward by the ruling Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition.
In a passionate and bold speech, Clare said "Producing a budget without first understanding its climate impact is simply the wrong way round. The Environmental Assessment of the Budget is not fit for purpose – basically, it is three lines on £60 million of spending. This Council declared an emergency – our Party, apparently alone, feels that if there is a crisis, then we need to act like it and every step the Council takes should take that into account".
"There is nothing ‘green’ in the budget of the new administration and the budget addresses none of the challenges required in our 2019 Climate Crisis declaration. It is a wasted opportunity to implement the policies that both parties ran on to get elected and appear to have abandoned now they are in power."
The Green Party Councillors abstained in the vote which was voted through, taking effect from April 2024.
A full transcript of Clare's speech can be found here:
Canterbury_City_Council_Green_Group_Budget_Response.
A YouTube video of Clare's speech can be found here:
