Parties trade blows over housing and scrutiny as council passes budget

Finance chief Cllr Diarmaid Ward. Photograph: Josef Steen / free for use by LDRS partners

Islington Council chamber became heated on Thursday as outgoing finance chief Diarmaid Ward laid into the Green opposition for blocking previous plans for more housing in the borough.

Introducing his final budget as a frontbencher, Cllr Ward added that he was “so proud” of his Labour colleagues for their “strong stewardship” of Islington through the “disaster” of the previous Tory government.

“We’re not shying away from the need to make savings in order to deliver a balanced budget. That’s why we protected frontline services and tried to make savings in the back office.

“That is why we protected the council tax support scheme which has brought 100 per cent relief to 8,000 households.

Addressing the opposition benches, he said: “A genuine plea – if you actually want to work together for the people of Islington, will you stand with us tonight, or will you take the easy way out?”

The Green and Independent groups had put forward their amendments to the budget, including a weight surcharge for parking permits on larger vehicles like SUVs to “support the council’s climate action and pollution goals”.

Leader of the opposition, Benali Hamdache, said the council’s planned £10m in cuts marked a “dark evening for Islington”, and that residents would suffer as a consequence of the Labour government’s “ideological commitment to austerity”.

“They are robbing the borough to feed the Westminster beast,” he added.

The opposition’s plans include funding for 13 additional council posts – some for youth work and special educational needs, and others for blue badge officers who would focus on exempting disabled residents from low traffic neighbourhoods.

Cllr Cinko-Oner. Photograph: Josef Steen / free for use by LDRS partners

Cllr Ilkay Cinko-Oner (Independent), who quit Labour last year, said extra staff  would help deal with the “distressing” waits of up to three years experienced by children seeking an educational health and care plan (EHCP).

They also want to reverse cuts to Christmas lights funding, announced in January, and put £3.41m into a ‘Decent Homes Fund’ over five financial years to improve housing stock standards.

But Ward criticised former colleagues for “not doing their homework” and failing to show up to meetings where they would have had the opportunity to scrutinise the budget.

Channelling the former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, he retorted: “You can’t play politics with people’s lives and people’s lifelines.”

Another ex-Labour councillor, Phil Graham, reserved his attacks for Downing Street rather than Upper Street.

“Trying to stretch the pittance from the central government is nearly an impossible task. There’s only so far you can stretch an elastic band before it breaks,” he said.

“For a Labour government to enter into an austerity that George Osborne would blush at is truly appalling to watch.”

Green councillor Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong had earlier asked the finance chief how many Islington families and children would be affected by the government freezing the local housing allowance (LHA) benefit.

Cllr Ward admitted he didn’t have the data to hand, but that Islington’s average private rents were “nowhere near” LHA rates, while also highlighting the importance of the council buying back social housing sold off under Right-to-Buy.

He also took the opportunity to attack the Greens over housing, reeling off a litany of examples of them rejecting Labour’s plans for more social housing at sites like the former Holloway Prison.

“These were called ‘monstrous’ and ‘a horror’ by a Green party candidate. You’ve got to help us and stop opposing new council homes.”

Cllr Ernestas Jegorovas-Armstrong. Photograph: Josef Steen / free for use by LDRS partners

Cllr Jegorovas-Armstrong told the Citizen that “the real number” of families affected by the LHA freeze is “900,000”, but declined to comment on his party’s previous opposition to housebuilding.

As the council voted on the budget, Cllr Graham surprised the chamber by backing the council’s budget after Labour councillors voted down the opposition’s amendment.

Much to the chagrin of the mayor, Anjna Khurana, Graham’s former colleague, Cllr Paul Convery, quipped: “I suppose they’ll have to expel Phil now.”

Graham later told the Citizen: “We all spoke on our proposed amendments, which were well worth looking at, but unfortunately Labour decided it would be better to spend their time trying to ridicule us.”

“There was no other option other than to set an illegal budget which could have wound up with someone from the government being put in charge.

“I’d rather deal with Islington Labour, who on the whole are decent people –when they’re not behaving like children.

“We are all, after all, here for the residents of Islington and it’s their lives that matter.”

As the meeting drew to a close, the chamber united in applauding the finance chief after he made his final speech from the frontbench.

Cllr Ward signed off: “I’m not from this borough, but like many others I have made it home for myself and my family. As they sing at the Emirates – north London forever, whatever the weather.”