Date of meeting: 16 June 2022

A period of not more than fifteen minutes shall be allowed at each ordinary meeting for questions submitted by a member of the public.

The question will be answered without discussion. The person who asked the question may ask one relevant supplementary question, which shall be put and answered without discussion. The person to whom a question, or supplementary question, has been put may decline to answer it.

The following written questions have been received from members of the public:

(1) Ruth Farnell – Equality Impact Assessment

In the report for item 9 on your agenda today (Domestic Abuse Act Strategy and Funding Award options), there is a note that a full Equality Impact Assessment was carried out, prior to the publication of the Pan-Sussex Domestic Abuse Accommodation Strategy. Has this Equality Impact Assessment been published anywhere?

(2) Nicola Benge – Refuge Accommodation

The Domestic Abuse Act gives the council a duty to improve outcomes for all survivors of domestic abuse and their children in safe accommodation. We are not convinced that the refuge accommodation provided by Stonewater is safe. There is no refuge manager in Brighton. Women have been left without heating and hot water. These vulnerable women and children have simply not had enough expert support provided. How bad do things have to get before the council will consider taking steps to end these contracts early?

(3) Lesley Hammond – Domestic Abuse Support

The committee is being asked today to extend previous spending decisions on Domestic Abuse support. One of these is the allocation of £32,000 to fund a Community Engagement Officer based at East Sussex County Council, whose role is to set up a survivor lived experience board. This allocation of funds was first made at your November 2021 meeting. Has this officer now been appointed, and when will the lived experience board be set up?

(4) Richard Valder-Davis – Storage Unit at Saltdean Beach

I am representing the Saltdean Swim and Surf Club, a surf lifesaving club in Saltdean. We have a huge amount of kit we are using to teach children to life save in the sea at Saltdean. Please could we request permission for a storage unit to placed on the beach at Saltdean to store our equipment and provide the club a base?