Council Agenda Item 16
Subject: Written questions from members of the public.
Date of meeting: 20 July 2023
A period of not more than fifteen minutes shall be allowed for questions submitted by a member of the public who either lives or works in the area of the authority at each ordinary meeting of the Council.
Every question shall be put and answered without discussion, but the person to whom a question has been put may decline to answer. The person who asked the question may ask one relevant supplementary question, which shall be put and answered without discussion.
The following written questions have been received from members of the public.
1. QUESTION From: Adrian Hart
In recent years, Council officers recommended third party providers to schools. Some conducted classroom lessons and staff training. Groups such as Allsorts and Race Matters advised on procedure and future strategies. Criticism has been made of certain groups that the materials delivered in schools are contrary to or misrepresent the law, national standards, guidelines, policy and evidence. It seems these groups are not regulated to ensure materials provided appropriately reflect law and national standards.
Can Council reassure parents that it will stop recommending such providers and implement quality assurance measures to ensure compliance with national policy, law, regulation and guidance
Councillor Taylor, Chair of Children, Families & Schools Committee will reply.
2. QUESTION From: Neil Duncanson
Who made the decision and why was its made, that the already overdue Withdean Road and surrounding roads and closes Light Touch CPZ approval should be removed from the Transport and Sustainability Committee agenda, delaying again this crucial work to make the road safer for all road users, pedestrians and residents alike in the face of continual parking displacement?
Councillor Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.
3. QUESTION From: Tony Peirce
Why did the Council and Ward councillors agree, without any communication or consultation, to delay the Light Touch CPZ scheme in Withdean by removing it from the agenda of the Transport and Sustainability Committee?
Councillor Muten , Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.
4. QUESTION From: Rob Shephard
The vehicle exhaust gases that cause Brighton & Hove's Air Pollution make up less than 1% of our Transport Carbon.
Our Carbon Neutral Fund has been spent disproportionately on reducing this 1%, rarely quantifying or justifying any Carbon Dioxide reductions, often funding well meaning activities which have negligible carbon benefits.
For example, can you confirm fitting catalytic converters to buses contributes even 9 tonnes of the 900,000 tonnes annual reduction we need in 2030?
Will you in future ensure the Carbon Neutral Fund is only used for items that show they tackle this often ignored 99% of our climate problem?
Councillor Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee will reply.
5. QUESTION From: Nigel Furness
As you appear to be desperately distancing your current Administration from your previous 'Green' Coalition bedfellows, Councillor Sankey, can you please enlighten this Chamber as to whether your actions will involve 'pausing' ALL their proposed plans or just a select few?
Councillor Sankey, Leader of the Council will reply.
6. QUESTION From: Helen Dear
In light of the recent road collapse in East Street exposing tunnels below (reported in the Argus a few weeks ago), has the council yet concluded the cause of the collapse, and was it related to the city's Victorian sewer system?
Councillor Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee will reply.
7. QUESTION From: Derek Wright
In light of the fact that Valley Gardens Three has been deferred.
Can I ask the council to take this opportunity and review the traffic /transport/parking measures on Madeira Drive West as at the moment they are causing disruption and are leading vehicles into making dangerous manoeuvres?
Councillor Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.
8. QUESTION From: Julia Basnett
Will Council review how it interprets rules on public questions, deputations and petitions? For some years, I’ve been aware of public attempts to assert scrutiny arbitrarily blocked by council officials and/or leaders. There’s a good reason why the efficient running of committees requires a defence against persistent submissions on exact same issues when satisfactory answers were already given. Rejecting a submission because a Chair feels, with democratic principles in mind, it will cause undue irritation, worry or clearly damage the good reputation of someone can also be reasonable. However, some feel rejections are too often unreasonable and essentially undemocratic (i).
Councillor Sankey, Leader of the Council will reply.
9. QUESTION From: Emma Wall
What is the timescale for the council offices to re-open post pandemic?
Councillor Sankey, Leader of the Council will reply.
10. QUESTION From: Baz Brooks
It is great that this new Labour Council are committing to an ‘Accessible City for Everyone’ and have started an 'Equalities, Community Safety & Human Rights Committee' to this end, but why haven’t I received an invitation to join as a registered disabled individual/Blue Badge Holder resident in Brighton and Hove?
Councillor Pumm, Chair of Equalities, Community Safety & Human Rights Committee will reply.
11. QUESTION From: Penny Koster
We all recently had a shock with the proposal to quadruple city parking charges so how will Brighton and Hove City Council ensure a fair parking policy for all going forwards?
Councillor Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.
12. QUESTION From: Michelle Patel
Will the Council update us on the time scale and start date for the planned improvements for Elm Grove, Queens Park Road and Egremont Place funded from the carbon neutral budget for 23/24 and promised to go ahead in the May election campaign?
Councillor Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.
13. QUESTION From: Lizzie Deane
My question relates to the content and minutes of the emergency Transport & Sustainability Committee of 21st June, in which the Chairs Communications were recorded in full, whereas the content of the entire ensuing debate is recorded as “Councillors Davis, Bagaeen, Robinson, Pumm, Miller, Grimshaw, Assaduzzaman and Czolak asked questions and contributed to the debate of the report”. Do you consider this to be an adequate record, or could it be a deliberate obfuscation of the points raised in response to a proposal where the Labour administration intends to unpick a scheme that they themselves had agreed to, a proposal that stands to be at considerable cost to the taxpayer, not to mention a further disruption along the seafront?
Councillor Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.