All councillors have a legal duty to set a balanced budget

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In the coming weeks, the city council will have to decide its budget. This will be the culmination of a process that began last July, when councillors asked officers to develop proposals to meet the £26 million budget gap we face in the next financial year.

Since then, there has been a huge amount of debate, consultation, research, and hard work. Lots of information has been provided online (www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/bhbudget) and surveys have also been sent out to a representative 1,000 citizens.

Budget information has been presented to public meetings of the business community, voluntary sector, residents' associations, and more.

It is an incredibly-challenging time for all councils. Recent analysis by the Financial Times confirmed that councils have been, by far, the worst-cut part of government, with budget cuts amounting to 55% in real terms.

Our services are seeing rising demand due to our growing population, people living longer, and a baby boom. This means our public services will need to change to deliver more for less.

It's a very difficult, uncertain time for staff and service-users waiting to know what will happen.

I think the level of government cuts to councils are totally wrong. They are counter-productive and risk harming those who most need help.

Privately, many councillors of all parties that I meet around the country feel the same way.

But, in the end, all councillors have a legal duty to set a balanced budget for their council. They are obliged to make do with diminished resources.

There will be big political arguments and points of principal in the coming weeks. Yet, ultimately - across party lines - we will have to find agreement and do the absolute best we can for our city in the toughest of times.