A York council chief has hit back at opposition claims that the city's Labour administration 'blocked' mental health funding.

York Liberal Democrats, who form the main opposition group at City of York Council, said its attempts to commit the Labour-run council to £100,000 of funding for mental health and autism support in a full council meeting of November 23 were obstructed twice by Labour.

But Labour said the money – proposed in a February budget under the control of the then Lib Dem/Green coalition administration – was a ‘one-off pre-election move’, adding that Labour councillors brought motions on mental health and autism to the meeting earlier this month.

Lib-Dem councillor Carol Runciman told the full council meeting during a proposed amendment to a Labour motion on the subject: “The Liberal Democrats as an administration took the important decision in February to include in their budget £100k for support for neurodivergent people and those suffering with poor mental health.

 “So, it was concerning to us to see in September that the administration took away this funding leaving it unclear if we will see this money spent.

“Earlier this month, the Executive Member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care managed to find £75k of the £100k the Liberal Democrats placed within the budget to deal with issues surrounding drug and alcohol misuse.

“This came from the Public Health reserve.

 “We would ask the question, if money can be found in the Public Health reserve to help address the problem of drug and alcohol misuse, then if the political will is there, will they find the money for supporting neurodivergent people and those suffering with poor mental health?

“Motions are easy to write, what is hard is having the strength and political leadership to find the money to fund these essential services.”

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The Government allocates Public Health grants as funds each year to local authorities specifically intended to support and enhance public health functions within local communities.

Executive member for Health, Wellbeing and Adult Social Care, Labour councillor Jo Coles, said: “These motions included a number of proposals aimed at improving the lives of residents with autism and residents experiencing poor mental health. 

“In contrast, Liberal Democrats’ proposal was a one-off pre-election move which, were it genuine, would have been a permanent budgetary commitment.

“The reality is the old Liberal Democrat administration failed to manage the council’s finances and failed to ever consider more than one year ahead.

“In opposition, they continue to promote the same type of reckless approach.

“We have to get the council back on a sound financial footing and that involves not spending money the council hasn’t got”.

The November 23 Full Council meeting included a motion from Labour Councillor Jason Rose – representing Acomb ward - ‘recognising and supporting York’s neurodivergent adults.’

Included in the motion were council resolutions to encourage regional health boards to use public engagement for improved communication on pathways for adult autism and ADHD assessments, renewing the city’s Autism Strategy and warnings to the Government over ‘increased demand for adult assessment, against the backdrop of low levels of funding to support neurodiverse adults and to local authorities’.

The vote on the Lib Dem proposed amendment to the motion was lost by 19 votes to 25 with no abstentions.