DEPUTATIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A period of not more than fifteen minutes shall be allowed at each ordinary meeting of the Council for the hearing of deputations from members of the public. Each deputation may be heard for a maximum of five minutes.
Deputations received:
(1) Deputation: An electric car-sharing co-operative for Brighton and Hove
Such initiatives are well-placed to address the urgent issues of climate change and air quality. We consider that in this context, it is urgent to increase the take-up of electric cars and more sustainable and active travel options. But electric cars are expensive to acquire, and therefore inaccessible to many.
We are therefore in the process of setting up a local co-operative non-profit car club, to provide low carbon, on demand, affordable shared mobility for all and so tackle our communities’ traffic and parking problems head on. Everyone’s quality of life is affected by congestion, parking and pollution, whether through increased travel times around our city, a 6 month wait for a parking permit, our public space being dominated by private cars, or not being able to enjoy safely playing or cycling in our streets.
Our car club will offer shared, electric cars and vans for booking by the hour or day. Car clubs have been proven to shift people’s transport behaviour by as much as a 50% increase in cycling, walking and public transport use. They also help to remove underused vehicles from the streets, with each shared car removing, on average, 7-10 private cars. And, as we move towards a ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, an electric-only car club will provide affordable access to what, for many, will remain an unaffordable purchase. Sharing cars also helps mitigate the socio-environmental impact of electric car production, especially in relation to mineral extraction in developing countries. We are committed to co-ordinating with the Council and building a collaborative network with the local community and not-for-profit sector, renewable energy co-operatives, community-led housing projects, active and sustainable transport initiatives and climate action groups. We will partner with local community organisations to find ways to improve sustainable travel access for these organisations and for people living in transport poverty.
Our initiative offers significant contributions to several BHCC policy objectives:
• Zero carbon target and response to the climate emergency
• Improvement of urban air quality
• Shift to active and sustainable travel
• Reducing car ownership and therefore pressure on parking spaces
• Improving the public realm by reducing the presence of cars
• Creating more equitable access to sustainable transport by offering an affordable alternative
We believe that a democratic local community-led initiative is uniquely placed to respond to the needs of local communities, and to encourage further local self-help initiatives. Our project will give local people the opportunity to invest in the project and become community shareholders. We therefore welcome the Council’s commitment to Community Wealth Building, and ask that our initiative be given favourable treatment, in compliance with this policy.
We are carrying out a survey to reveal and locate demand, and received 240 responses in the first week, with an average rating of 8.4 out of 10 for interest in joining, and 7.5 for the importance of our community-led vision. At the March ETS meeting, we will present our business case for approval and support. We have applied for an initial small grant from the Carbon Reduction Resilience Fund but will launch a Community Share Offer to finance the rollout of the project.
We are grateful for the interest and collaboration already demonstrated by both officers and members. At this stage we are asking the Committee to express initial interest in the project and to request officer collaboration in developing our plans.
Supported by:
Peter Clarke (Lead Spokesperson)
Andrea Jones
Dave Boyle
Katy Oswald
Martyn Holmes
Ray Cunningham
Santiago Ripoll
Tom Kiss
(2) Deputation: Communal bins- Roundhill
WHO WE ARE
We are a growing number of at least 22 residents in the following functionally linked streets within the Roundhill conservation area: Round Hill Crescent, D’aubigny Road, Ashdown Road and ‘northern’ Richmond Road. We represent a group in opposition to our inclusion within the area being considered for roll-out of communal bins (essentially dumpsters & mini dumps).
Roundhill is an engaged and active community which generally supports the Council’s objectives to reduce costs and increase recycling and together we have a history of mutual and active support for green and social initiatives. We are not NIMBYs, however, we do challenge initiatives that would undermine our celebrated social and environmental efforts. If communal bins had worked elsewhere, we would consider them despite the issues raised within this document. Collaborations we have worked to achieve include community planters, graffiti cleaning, street cleaning, addressing dog mess, maintaining conservation standards and active support for B&H Drugs & Alcohol services in Richmond House.
It is our belief that we manage the current refuse and recycling arrangements well but are not confident that we could continue to do so if communal bins were introduced. Not only would this erode the sense of personal and communal responsibility we have fostered, it would leave us prone to potential fly tipping and irresponsible waste disposal practices of people from outside our neighbourhood and undermine the well-being of residents.
EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OF EXISTING COMMUNAL BINS
The communal bins on adjoining Upper Lewes Road which have operated for over 3 years illustrate a waste strategy that is ineffective. See the photographic evidence attached in appendix 1.
- Overflowing rubbish(including food waste and brokenglass) presents a health hazardand obstructs access,
often causing pedestrians to walk in the road
- Pile ups of uncontained, improperly disposed of waste including large and bulky items
- Recycling rates are reduced due to increased contamination rates; communal bins mean anonymity, exacerbating fly tipping, ‘laziness’ and attracting improper disposal
- They generally degrade the area through being unsightly (and ineffective in ways discussed) in design and attracting tagging on the bins themselves and nearby walls
EVIDENCE AGAINST COMMUNAL BINS on Round Hill Crescent, D’aubigny, Ashdown & ‘northern’ Richmond Rds:
- We are discrete from the rest of Roundhill due to no road access at the corner of Mayo Road & ‘northern’ Richmond Road - see map in appendix 1
- We do not meet audit criteria referred to by Rachel Chasseaud (Assistant Director City Environment) in her email to Sandy Hawkins and Cllr Pete West on 1 December 2020 ”Over the past year we have been auditing the city to look at the best optionsfor containment depending on the propertytypes, width of pavements etc. In some areas with narrow pavements leaving bins and boxes on the highways can lead to accessibility issues. In some areas the difficulty we have accessing a road with a truck means that a
communal collection would improve reliability...”
- We are an active community who work together to help keep our current bins as tidy as possible
- The no through road system means it is possible for residents to navigate the area when bin lorries are operating
- The lack of suitable positions to place bins without them being directly outside residences or reducing parking spaces; these are at a premium plus we are working with the Council to pilot electric parking car spaces
- Bins are mobile & often drift into & along the road. Placing them on the steep gradient & camber of the windy
roads in our area presents a safety issue and potential obstruction
- Acoustics in Roundhill Crescent especially mean that noise is amplified and noise pollution from glass bottle disposal and use of pedal bin lids would be particularly problematic. We are a conservation area where restrictions prevent the installation of double glazed windows
- Most homes have no or tiny front gardens, some communal bins would be within a metre of residents’ front doors and windows. If in front of basement flats, valuable natural light would be lost
- The potential for fly tipping activity increases; vehicles dumping inappropriate waste would be less visible, particularly at nighttime. Historically the cat creep between Roundhill Crescent and RichmondRoad has suffered
WE ASK
1. The Committee to note our Deputation, and invite representatives to any future meetings discussing this issue
2. Officers to recognise the named streets as distinct area within Roundhill and act to remove them from the proposed roll-out (or consultation thereof) of communal bins in Roundhill
3. That the Council is transparent from the outset if they decide to consult, on the proposed locations and size of communal bins plus their expected collection schedules
Supported by:
Kate Wolstenholme
Claire Elliott (Lead Spokesperson)
Sandy Thomas
Stephanie Coombs
Emily Robertson
Jo Miller
Mike Unwin
Kathy Gemmell
Lucy Gale
Annie Rimington
Emma Daniel
Jamie Aitchison
Robin Morley