BRIGHTON & HOVE COUNCIL

(4) Councillor Deane

How many schools in Brighton and Hove teach Cookery and/or Horticulture as part of the curriculum?

Reply from Councillor Allcock, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee

(5) Councillor Deane

Are there any plans to formally replace the felled Preston Twin or alternatively, plant a new set of Preston Twins for posterity and long-term future?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(6) Councillor Deane

Will the Administration consider planting an arboretum of memorial trees to those who have lost their lives due to Covid, and invite local residents who have lost loved ones to put their name to a tree in their memory?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(7) Councillor Ebel: Missed Recycling Collections Sussex Court, Eaton Road:

Residents in my ward have seen a rise in missed recycling collections over the last few months. The residents in Sussex Court, Eaton Road are particularly affected by these missed collections. Their recycling is due to be collected every day according to the council’s website but in the last few months many weeks have gone by without a collection. Other bins in the area are being collected more regularly. This points to a problem particularly with collections in Sussex Court. Can the Chair of the ETS committee please commit to looking into the reason for the continuously missed collections and ensure that going forward recycling and rubbish are collected from Sussex Court as specified on the council’s website?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(8) Councillor Ebel: EU Settled Status

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, EU citizens were not able to access the scanners in the libraries and in Brighton Town Hall. Could you please tell me how many EU citizens in Brighton & Hove are estimated to have not yet applied for the EU Settled Status? When will the scanners be accessible again so that those who have not yet applied for EU Settled Status can apply before the deadline? How does the Council reach out to support EU citizens with their EU Settled Status applications in light of the impact of restrictions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic?

Reply from Councillor Yates, Deputy Chair (Finance) of the Policy & Resources Committee

(9) Councillor Ebel: Leisure Centres

Leisure centres play a vital part in keeping residents in our city healthy and fit. Our swimming pools and gyms offer residents an affordable opportunity to participate in many different sports. The closure of one or more of our leisure centres would have a negative impact, especially on those on low income, as private alternatives are often not affordable enough. In a recent BBC article (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53323286) it was revealed that half of leisure centres could close. Could you please give an update on the situation in Brighton & Hove? What is being done to support our leisure centres through the COVID-19 crisis?

Reply from Councillor Appich, Chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee

(10) Councillor Ebel

The Greater Brighton Economic Board recently released their COVID-19 Impact Assessment Report (https://present.brighton-hove.gov.uk/documents/s155847/GBEB%20Covid%20Report%20HATCH%20005.pdf). In this report concerns were raised that the COVID-19 crisis will particularly affect young people (18-24-year-olds). The report states that there has been a dramatic reduction in apprenticeship positions with some apprentices losing their position just months before the completion of their training. What is the administration and the council doing to alleviate this situation? Are there any programs in place that help apprentices to find another company to complete their training, if their original company is closing down? Can the administration look into offering those who have lost their apprenticeship, and who are unable to find another company to finish their apprenticeship to complete their apprenticeship with Brighton & Hove City Council? How many and what type of apprenticeships is Brighton & Hove City Council currently offering (existing and advertised placements)? Is there a plan to increase this number in the future?

Reply from Councillor Allcock, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee

(11) Councillor Fishleigh

How much per household does it cost to empty and process the contents of our general waste, recycling and garden waste bins?

Please provide separate per household figures for each of the three services.

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(12) Councillor Heley

Since November 2019, Preston Park ward councillors have been asking for the light on the bridge over London Road Station to be fixed. Despite our numerous requests, the repair has still not been made. Why has it taken so long to work with Network Rail to resolve this issue, and when will the light be repaired by?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(13) Councillor Hugh-Jones

Given the numerous outstanding leaseholder complaints and disputes with the council concerning overcharging for what they regard as unnecessary and shoddy work while the Mears joint venture was in place, can the administration provide clarification on the point at which, and under what authority, the remit of the joint venture was extended to cover major projects in addition to repairs?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(14) Councillor Hugh-Jones

I am frequently contacted by residents raising the issue of cars in Preston Park. Drivers park in no parking areas or in bays reserved for blue badge holders. On occasion they travel at speed up and down Lime Tree Walk, “slalom-style” between the speed bumps, despite this being an area frequented by families with small children and pets. The “No Entry” road markings have recently been repainted, yet already I have been contacted by a resident whose dog was almost run over. It seems it is only a matter of time before there is a serious accident. Could the chair please advise

A) How many penalty charges have been issued in the last year to those parking or driving in Preston Park outside the designated parking areas?

B) What steps will be taken to adequately restrict vehicular access and enforce parking restrictions (except with respect to blue badge holders), not just in Preston Park but also in our other green spaces so that others are able to use such spaces in safety?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(15) Councillor Hugh-Jones

In light of the Black Lives Matter campaign, do you agree that it is time to conduct a review, not just of the city’s public monuments, but also of our most high-profile buildings? Do you also agree that the results could form the subject matter of a Brighton Museum exhibition on the contribution of the slave trade to the funding of The Pavilion and Dome, Brighton Town Hall and many of the city’s Regency buildings?

Reply from Councillor Appich, Chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee

(16) Councillor Osborne

Does the council keep stats on the ethnicity of tenants in council properties? If so what is the proportion of BAME households and how does this compare to the average percent of the city?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(17) Councillor Osborne

How many people are employed by the council and what is the breakdown in numbers of employees on various contracts e.g. hours worked- zero hours, part time, full time, flexible, and length of contract- temporary, permanent?

Reply from Councillor Yates, Deputy Chair (Finance) of the Policy & Resources Committee

(18) Councillor Osborne

How much money was spent on agency staff during the financial year April 2019/2020 and how much extra is this in comparison to what it would have cost if the job had been carried out by an equivalent council employee? Can you provide a breakdown of agency staff used in each of the different directorates?

Reply from Councillor Yates, Deputy Chair (Finance) of the Policy & Resources Committee

(19) Councillor Osborne

Does the council use Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with staff leaving service? If so, how many of these have been signed in each year since 2014? Can you provide an overall breakdown of which departments/directorates these come from and the total cost of these?

Reply from Councillor Yates, Deputy Chair (Finance) of the Policy & Resources Committee

(20) Councillor Osborne

How much money has been spent on consultants to develop strategy for the council including think tanks and individuals? Can you provide a list of consultants used and detail what areas they have focused on?

(21) Councillor Osborne

How many children are there in the local authority with education, health and care (EHC) plans?

Reply from Councillor Allcock, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee

(22) Councillor Osborne

How much debt is held by the council and how does this compare with other councils?

Reply from Councillor Yates, Deputy Chair (Finance) of the Policy & Resources Committee

(23) Councillor Osborne

How many parking spaces are there across the city and how many are owned by the council? Is there any data collected on the occupancy rates of these parking spaces?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(24) Councillor Powell: Tackling rogue landlords and empty properties

According to ‘Letting Agent Today’, dated 9^th January 2020, it was reported that our Labour council had failed to meet the deadline for the funds to enforce rental regulations. The Chair of Housing, Cllr Gill WILLIAMS was quoted as saying that BHCC had set-up “a new online reporting system for residents to report problems with poor private rented housing.”

Can the Chair inform us then:

· How this new system works, and how residents access it?

· How the system is being advertised?

· What types of issues are being reported, and if any trends are being tracked?

· Whether renters have reported any energy-efficiency issues that they have raised with landlords, or issues associated with landlords passing on the costs of energy efficiency measures?

· Specifically, what actions are being taken by this council against landlords who are found to be neglecting their properties?

· And specifically, how many cases has the council dealt with since it started?

Additionally, the Chair mentioned within the same article “we are introducing a new enforcement policy to regulate standards in private rented housing, and to tackle empty homes in B&H”.

Greens and Labour have pledged in the joint Housing programme to tackle empty homes, so could the Chair please tell us:

· How many empty homes (both council and private) the city has, specifically between April 2019 and March 2020?

· How many empty homes has this Labour administration brought back into use since it took the administration in May 2019? And how does this figure compare to the number of empty homes brought back in 2018/19?

· Whether the EPC enforcement post, budgeted for in February, has been filled and, if it has, what enforcement measures have been taken to ensure that landlords comply with their EPC obligations?

· Could the Chair confirm that she will update councillors at the Housing Committee in due course, on how this enforcement policy is working, and how it is being monitored?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(25) Councillor Powell: Learning from the tragedy of Grenfell

We are 3 years on from Grenfell: the worst preventable tragedy in peacetime.

On 13^th June 2020, The Independent stated that “some 56,000 people were still living in buildings with flammable cladding”. The Shadow Housing Secretary said that it was a “national disgrace” that people were still waking-up all these years on, in “potential death traps”. The Labour party went on to say “if other types of cladding identified as a fire risk are removed at the same rate, it will be almost 40 years before the risk is completed.”

The council website under the heading “council-owned high-rise-fire safety FAQS” gives residents a lot of helpful, factual information about what the council has done in response to Grenfell. From this page (which is undated), could the Chair of Housing please answer the following:

· “Working with the ESFRS, we contacted the owners of private blocks to ensure we have the necessary information to make their blocks safer”. Can the Chair detail exactly what meaningful actions this council has taken to ensure that private blocks are indeed safe, by providing actual examples?

· In relation to sprinklers being installed as standard in new high rise buildings, this is the reply as listed on the website: “We will also review our Asset Management Strategy and our new homes design specification to take on board any learning or new regulation” Can the Chair confirm then, if all new council properties, and all new housing association properties are, as of today’s date, having sprinklers fitted as part of the course, or not?

· “A pilot sprinkler installation at Somerset Point was completed in 2016.” Essex Place and St James House were noted as completed in 2018. It goes on to say: “In the longer term we will be reviewing the use of sprinklers, taking into account latest technology and future government guidance.” Would the Chair therefore confirm if the latest technology and future government guidance has been adhered to, and if all existing council high rise blocks have retrospectively been fitted with sprinklers? And if not, when will this be done?

· Can the Chair confirm how quickly the issues raised in the risk reports listed on the website are actioned, as these are not dated?

Lastly, in September 2019, the Pankhurst flats in my ward of Hanover and Elm Grove suffered a terrifying fire. Passers-by were reported in B&H News as saying that “the fire spread within seconds.” Could the Chair inform the council when were all Housing Association buildings last fire checked by council officers? And how often are these checked, please?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(26) Councillor Powell: Libraries

Bertrams, the (outsourced) supplier to the council of books, labels and catalogues, has gone into administration, as reported in the publication in The Bookseller on 19^th June 2020:

https://www.thebookseller.com/news/employees-be-made-redundant-betrams-goes-administration-1207533

Could the Chair of TECC, Cllr Carmen Appich, explain how libraries will be getting new books, including those published these past few months?

And could Cllr Appich also confirm that this actually provides a golden opportunity to discuss with officers, the possibility of now making this a council library-staffed job, as it should always have been?

Reply from Councillor Appich, Chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee

(27) Councillor Druitt

Despite the council’s best efforts, the beach remains dangerously overcrowded on sunny days and the resulting amounts of rubbish are shameful. What plans does the council have to ensure that overcrowding on the beach in the summer holidays does not cause a ‘second wave’ and how does the council plan to facilitate a reduction in litter on the beach from the recent record-breaking haul to zero?

Reply from Councillor Appich, Chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee

(28) Councillor Druitt

Has the council received a response yet from the Government to the request to use un-claimed funds from the Small Biz grant scheme to enable more local businesses to be supported from the discretionary fund; if so what is the outcome and if not, what can the council do further to support local businesses struggling to stay afloat?

Reply from Councillor Platts, Leader of the Council

(29) Councillor Druitt

How many of the council’s commercial tenants have requested rent relief (and what is the value of relief requested), and what are the main reasons given for requests? Can the council provide figures for the number of businesses (and the value of rent) that have been granted (i) deferrals, and (ii) write-offs?

Reply from Councillor Yates, Deputy Chair (Finance) of the Policy & Resources Committee

(30) Councillor Druitt

For the last four weeks residents in Clarence Square have had to put up with noisy air conditioning units running 24/7 from one of the shops; they have complained to Environmental Health but so far no action has been taken. Can the council explain to residents what they have to do to get action on this matter?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(31) Councillor Hills: School Streets

The last Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee committed to implementing a programme of School Streets to support the safe reopening of all primary and nursery schools in Brighton and Hove. Closing off streets to traffic outside schools encourages active travel to and from school, aids social distancing and protects children, parents and staff from the effects of pollution from exhaust fumes outside schools. It would be great to follow the lead of London boroughs such as Hackney in London, where school streets are being quickly rolled out in almost every primary school prior to schools reopening in September. Could the chair of the committee outline what work is currently being done to facilitate this, and estimate how many of our schools will have School Streets in place when the autumn term starts?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(32) Councillor Hills: The SEND Central Hub

Work has been delayed on the planning and consultation of the SEND Central Hub, which includes Homewood College, The Pupil Referral Unit and the Connected Hub premises. Could you tell me when the project will be progressed?

Reply from Councillor Allcock, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee

(33) Councillor Hills: Voluntary Council Tax Payments

At a previous full council meeting, I brought up the idea of allowing residents to voluntarily increase the amount of council tax they pay to fund specific projects, and this was met with a positive response from the administration. I’d just like to know what progress has been made with regard to rolling this out.

Reply from Councillor Yates, Deputy Chair (Finance) of the Policy & Resources Committee

(34) Councillor Hills: Access to Madeira Drive

The lift at Concorde 2 is a much-needed access point to the sea front from Marine Parade, particularly for people with mobility issues or small children. I'd like to ask when will it reopen to the public? While I’m aware its recent closure has been due to the pandemic, the lift has a history of being randomly closed at times when it should be officially in service, which can be very frustrating to users. When the lift does reopen, would it be possible to communicate this to residents on the news section of the council website, and at times when it does go out of service could this be flagged up to residents too via council communications? Also, not all of the sets of steps going down from Marine Parade to Madeira Drive are currently open, and people are not always aware of which are and aren’t available to use. Again, could the points at which the steps are useable be made available in an easy-to-find place on the council’s website?

Reply from Councillor Appich, Chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture Committee

(35) Councillor West: Hove Recycling Centre access

It has been good to see the re-opening of Recycling Centres, allowing residents to once more dispose responsibly of unwanted items. Social distancing however has required limiting numbers on-site, frequently resulting in vehicle queuing. Queue management changes at Hove have thankfully resolved conflict where drivers were queuing on the Old Shoreham Road and abusing the temporary cycle lane. However, capacity limits mean those who cannot join the queue still find frustration. Even the Mayor, Cllr Robins, has faced this problem, describing getting caught in what may be best described as a game of musical chairs; including u-turns in sideroads and successive drive bys. None of this can be good for road safety nor congestion, and certainly risks the impatient resorting to fly-tipping.

We foresaw these pressures before re-opening and suggested the need to set up a booking system as other councils have done. Another idea could be to install a webcam with live feed to the council website so residents may check the queue length before setting out.

Other organisations and businesses have been working hard to ensure access to their services is convenient and reliable as we exit lockdown. What is the Labour administration planning to do now to improve the access of residents to these essential environmental services?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(36) Councillor West: Freight Strategy

In response to the rise in online shopping a lengthening procession of delivery vans and noisy mopeds are filling our streets. A recent survey showed that younger people in particular are placing multiple orders a week creating an average of at least 7 doorstep deliveries a week. It is suggested this is one of the main drivers of increased congestion and poor air quality.

Further to winning £85,000 for 12 e-cargo bikes, what freight strategy is the administration developing to address the changes we are seeing with how people shop? Will this include establishing break-bulk centres to support a significant shift to electric last mile deliveries. Additionally, what support and encouragement will this strategy also give to the use of collection centres and parcel lockers?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(37) Councillor West: KPI recycling failure

The appalling news that a staggering 1,089 recycling bin collections have been missed will sadly come as no surprise to anyone living in Brighton and Hove. The sight of an overflowing bin has almost become routine. Worse still, while it’s clear that Covid-19 will have had an impact on the City Clean service in recent months, this does not explain away the repeated decline in bin collections across the last few years. The numbers tell a different story: that despite pledges that Labour Councillors would directly ‘oversee the service,’ the organisation of one of our most basic services, bin collection, continues to fail.

We were told previously that missed collections were the result of the fire at the Waste transfer facility. Then we were told there were a higher number of vehicle breakdowns. At one point, we were told that warm weather overheating trucks was to blame. The problem is, residents have heard it all; and have grown tired of assurances that things will improve. There is clearly something deeply wrong at City Clean and we urge the Labour council to do more to ensure residents actually see the rate of collections improve - not just find themselves the recipients of more empty promises.

City Clean’s two-year Modernisation Plan has over-run, with no end in sight to the problems it was promised to fix. In 2015 Labour promised the electorate they’d get the basics right. Five years on can they say when, if ever, they will be making good on that pledge.

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(38) Councillor West: Calling for use of Your Tosser Littering Signs

Members and residents have been flagging up the surge in littering at the beach and in parks resulting from increased use of Single Use Plastics and surge in al fresco gatherings due to the Covid restrictions. Cllr Pissaridou has described approaches being used to respond to these problems, but these measures just aren’t reaching the conscience of many people who need to be made aware of the impact their behaviour is having. Cllr Pissaridou is aware of the cheeky signs in use by York Council. These signs are effective in calling out those who toss away their rubbish. Cllr Pissaridou has so far rejected calls for Brighton & Hove to use these signs, suggesting they won’t be effective. Will she now stop rubbishing the idea and commit to getting these signs made up please.

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(39) Councillor Clare

How many fines for littering have been issued on the seafront between April 1 - June 30, 2020?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(40) Councillor Clare

Could you detail the council’s policy towards flyposting and its removal – and whether there is an exemption for community groups?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(41) Councillor Clare

What was the total number of responses to the recent Youth Service consultation and how does this break down per area?

Reply from Councillor Allcock, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee

(42) Councillor Clare

How many fixed term exclusions were issued in local authority schools in Brighton and Hove in the school year 2018-2019 or this school year if the data for the majority of the year is available? Of those fixed term exclusions, how do these break down per ethnicity?

Reply from Councillor Allcock, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee

(43) Councillor Clare

Could you provide the most recent statistics on the number of young people who walk, cycle, use public transport, park and stride and drive to school?

Reply from Councillor Allcock, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee

(44) Councillor Mac Cafferty: Graffiti Wipes

Graffiti wipes are being decommissioned because of their environmentally damaging contents. When can we know what will replace them or are there other initiatives in train to wipe up tagging, especially on communal bins?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(45) Councillor Mac Cafferty: Elm Trees

How many elms have been lost in Brunswick & Adelaide over the past 3, 6 and 12 months?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(46) Councillor Mac Cafferty: Brunswick Lawns

Further to unlawful vehicle incursions on the Lawns will there be an attempt to introduce bunds or posts to prevent further incursions?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(47) Councillor Mac Cafferty: BSUH Merger

The proposed merger of BSUH and Western Sussex NHS has come as a shock to most of us and my residents- there appears to have been no consultation with locally elected councillors. Especially in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic we need more health staff and infrastructure not another reorganisation or attempt to stretch already stretched budgets. Can I ask what discussions if any the Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board has had with local NHS and if the chair will be expressing opposition to such a merger?

Reply from Councillor Moonan, Chair of the Health & Wellbeing Board

(48) Councillor Mac Cafferty: GP Access

A year ago, I asked what discussion the city council was having with the Clinical Commissioning Group to help the 1 in 6 people in the city who wait a whole week to see their GP. In light of the Covid-19 crisis that figure will almost certainly get worse. What plans are in place to ensure access to primary care continues?

Reply from Councillor Moonan, Chair of the Health & Wellbeing Board

(49) Councillor Mac Cafferty: Floral Clock

The mechanism is once again broken- this means the clock works for brief periods but subsequently then breaks down. Can a replacement mechanism and parts be found that will work for the long term?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(50) Councillor Mac Cafferty: EV Charging Areas

Although I welcome electrical vehicle charging points being installed, residents are right to question what their use will be if they are installed next to reserved areas for electrical vehicles. Can I ask the Chair of ETS to explore this with relevant TROs etc?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(51) Councillor Mac Cafferty: Street Closures

As the city tries to recover from a pandemic which attacks the respiratory system, has the Administration considered making the process simpler to organise street closures to enable safe social distancing while communities reclaim their streets from traffic?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(52) Councillor Nield: Tongdean Lane

I am very pleased to see the actions currently being taken to make it easier for residents to walk and cycle in Brighton and Hove. However, outside of these specific schemes, walking and cycling remain difficult and often hazardous modes of transport. In Withdean ward a long stretch of Tongdean Lane has no pavement or street lighting and residents must walk in the road. This stretch is clearly marked “Access Only” but is used daily as a cut-through by speeding vehicles. I have witnessed on different occasions a woman pushing a pram, and a woman walking home with her toddler having to contend with car drivers using this road at speed. In addition, residents tell me that the road surface is in dire need of repair, which makes it hazardous to cyclists. While I understand that the current focus for improving cycling and walking provision is on strategic corridors and city centres, could I have some assurance that, particularly as the LCWIP progresses, we will be able to move on to finding solutions to some of our more direly neglected local walking and cycling issues such as that in Tongdean Lane?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(53) Councillor Wares: City Clean

The Conservative Group submitted a Freedom of Information request regarding the agreement reached between the Administration and the GMB Union in respect to Cityclean around February this year. This followed a period of industrial unrest when strikes at Cityclean were potentially imminent. Officers have confirmed they do have the information requested but are considering if publishing the information is in the public interest. For over two years the Administration have been trying to modernise Cityclean but in the same period, customer satisfaction has hit all-time lows, missed refuse collections have increased by 600% and missed recycling collections have trebled. At various Committees it has been advised that issues at Cityclean were far greater and more deep rooted than expected even though the council has been run by Labour for the past five years.

With Cityclean in such a dire condition, it is unthinkable that the agreement reached between the Administration and the GMB is anything other than in the public interest when such an agreement quite clearly will impact a basic council service for which council tax is collected.

Would the Leader of the Council therefore confirm, in the public interest and to meet her pledges of openness and transparency, that she will instruct officers to release all information relating to the agreement save of course any information that relates to individuals where GDPR legislation is applicable.

Reply from Councillor Platts, Leader of the Council

(54) Councillor Bagaeen: BAME Representation

New data shared in a report by the University of Manchester published on 7 July 2020 shows that only 7% of all UK councillors are from a black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background, which is half the percentage BAME people make up of the country's overall population (14%).

The report, by Professor Maria Sobolewska and Dr Neema Begum from the University of Manchester notes how only 13% of Westminster councillors are from a minority ethnic background, compared with 38% of the population.

The report shows that Brighton and Hove has a disparity of 12 percentage points between representation (0%) (2018) and the BAME percentage of the population (11.9%).

These figures impact resource allocation given that councillors have greater immediate power and control over resources.

In the Operation Black Vote audit of BAME councillors 2018, it found that of the 123 Single Tier authorities in England, one third has either no BAME representation of one BAME councillor. 28 Single Tier councils have no BAME councillor whilst 12 have just one.

This audit was damning of the record of Brighton & Hove noting that the city came in as one of those 28 single tier councils with no BAME councillor representation.

The scale of ethnic under-representation in local government is perpetuating racial inequality and disadvantage. What has the administration done to address this challenge in our city?

Reply from Councillor Platts, Leader of the Council

(55) Councillor Mears: Homeless Reduction Board

The council has received significant funding support from the Government to house rough sleepers in the City through to September.

According to figures published in the Argus, Brighton & Hove City Council had spent up to £2.4 million by the end of June.

However, despite this support, residents are sadly still seeing many examples of homelessness and begging across the City

Following on from Labours announcement of its strategy for ending homelessness in Brighton & Hove, and the establishment of a:

Homeless Reduction Board serviced by a Homeless Operational Board with The Strategy and Action Plan being referred to the Housing Committee on a six-monthly cycle.

With the homeless and rough sleepers due to leave accommodation by September,

Can the public have confidence that this will not be more than a talking shop and will actually deliver results?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(56) Councillor Rainey: Street Trees

The loss of street trees in Brighton and Hove is an ongoing problem and stumps rather than trees feature in many of the city’s streets including numerous streets in Queens Park ward. Residents have offered to raise money for replacement trees and to sponsor new trees, and the Woodland Trust has offered donated trees. However, the infrastructure does not seem to be in place for these offers to be taken up. Please can the Chair of ETS explain how provision can be put in place for the stumps of street trees to be replaced by new trees, if money has been raised by residents and/or charities to cover the cost of removing stumps and buying and planting new trees?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(57) Councillor Rainey: Public Playgrounds

Public playgrounds have been closed for the duration of lockdown and only began to re-open last week. During this time some playgrounds have fallen into disrepair and desperately need to be improved if they are to be enjoyed safely by Brighton and Hove’s children. Does the administration have a schedule of improvements planned for the city’s playgrounds and if so when will it start to be implemented?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(58) Councillor Rainey: Children’s Mental Health

Lockdown has been a challenging time for everybody, but children and young people have been particularly affected. Schools and colleges being closed and lack of opportunities to socialise mean that children and young people are suffering from social isolation and have become increasingly reliant on screen-based activities and social media, leading to an increase in mental health problems. There has been a significant increase in eating disorders in particular among young people during lockdown. What actions are the administration taking to address this increased need for mental health support for children and young people post-lockdown?

Reply from Councillor Allcock, Chair of the Children, Young People & Skills Committee

(59) Councillor Gibson

How many properties bought under the home purchase policy in 19/20 were bought with support from the rent reserve and how much of the rent reserve was used up?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(60) Councillor Gibson

For each of the years 17/18, 18/19 and 19/20, what was

a) Parking enforcement income

b) On street parking charge income

c) Off street parking charge income

d) CPZ Permit income

e) Parking enforcement costs

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(61) Councillor Gibson

How many new CPZ permits issued in the financial year between 1^st April and the 15^th of July? And of these how many were issued to households on council tax benefit at the lower rates? (i.e. the number not passing on the full increase agreed at budget council)?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(62) Councillor Gibson

As of 20^th July, how many additional staff have been taken on to administer the concessionary full CPZ charges?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(63) Councillor Gibson

The 19/20 budget provisional out turn shows an underspend of £1.574m primarily due to “over achievement on income streams from parking and commercial rents” Can the amount of the parking overachievement be broken down into its separate elements (i.e. between on street, off street, enforcement and CPZ and can the amount of additional commercial rent income over budget?

Reply from Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee

(64) Councillor Gibson

As of the 20th of July, what is the total number housed in hotels, student halls and of: Please provide a breakdown of the outcomes (as of the 6th July) for homeless people accommodated in hotels, student accommodation symptomatic and ex symptomatic accommodation who have been housed since 18th March

a) Verified rough sleepers

b) Other homeless people housed to avoid rough sleeping

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(65) Councillor Gibson

As of 20th of July, how many Personal Housing Plans had housing options completed since beginning of April for verified rough sleepers and how many are outstanding?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(66) Councillor Gibson

As of 20th of July

a) How many verified rough sleepers and other homeless households have no local connection and can be safely reconnected?

b) Since 18th of March how many verified Rough sleepers and how many other homeless households or individuals have been safely reconnected?

c) How many safe reconnections need to take place between 20^th July and the 4^th of September each week to safely reconnect all those without local connection qualifying for safe reconnection?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(67) Councillor Gibson

As of the 20th of July, how many accommodated in Hotels, student accommodation, symptomatic and ex symptomatic accommodation? And how many are receiving of rent support payments?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(68) Councillor Gibson

Please provide an update to the information in the same categories provided to PR (9^th July) of the outcomes (as of the 20th July) for homeless people accommodated in hotels, student accommodation symptomatic and ex symptomatic accommodation who have been housed since 18th March?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(69) Councillor Gibson

Given the answer provided to July’s PR showed that the rate that BHCC has rehoused verified rough sleepers has been under 5 a week and safe reconnections have been around 1 a week totalling 6 a week overall since 18^th of March and given that on average there are currently around 10 new rough sleepers being accommodated each week, how many verified rough sleepers is it estimated that BHCC would need to provide accommodation for each week up until the end date of the current hotel contracts (at the beginning of September) to house existing rough sleepers and projected newly discovered?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee

(70) Councillor Gibson

The answer to PR on the 9^th of July indicated that up to 6^th of July 62 rough sleepers had been housed in supported accommodation and that 16 rough sleepers had been safely reconnected, please can you provide a breakdown showing numbers housed in each of the different supported accommodation facilities and please can you indicate who managed these 16 reconnections and list the different destinations people were reconnected to?

Reply from Councillor Williams, Chair of the Housing Committee