ByJessica Elgot, Jessica Elgot
York's Holocaust Memorial Day budget, which was slashed by 80 per cent, has been restored to its original amount by the new Labour council.
Labour leader Councillor James Alexander had led a campaign to reinstate the budget, which was cut to £1,000 as part of an austerity package in February.
But having wrested control of the council from the Liberal Democrats, Councillor Alexander said the party was making good on its manifesto pledge and "righting the wrong".
The new LibDem leader in the city, Councillor Carol Runciman, acknowledged the importance of HMD events. "I have visited the camps in Germany and Poland and if the day needs this budget, then it should have it," she said.
"I'm not willing to discuss the minutiae of pounds and pence."
Labour council is ‘righting the wrong’ of its predecessor
HMD is normally marked in York with a candlelit vigil at Clifford's Tower, where 150 Jews were massacred in 1190.
This year's memorial event was at Merchant Adventurers' Hall, where two survivors spoke.