Subject: Written questions from Councillors
Date of meeting: 14 December 2023
Report of: Executive Director for Governance, People & Resources
Contact Officer: Name: Anthony Soyinka
Tel: 01273 291006
Email: anthony.soyinka@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: All
For general release
The following questions have been received from Councillors and will be taken as read along with the written answer detailed below:
1. Councillor Fishleigh
When will the development brief for Black Rock be written and marketed?
Reply from Councillor – Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee
2. Councillor Fishleigh
What is the timescale for resurfacing The Green and High Street in Rottingdean and what is the plan to improve the adjacent paving?
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
3. Councillor Fishleigh
Which BHCC-owned assets have been identified for disposal, what are the timescales and asking prices?
Reply from Councillor – Sankey, Leader of the Council
4. Councillor Earthey
EV charging is a problem for people without off-street parking, but there are solutions for these people such as 'EV Channel Charging', that can be implemented without cost to councils because the residents bear the cost of the charging infrastructure. Is BHCC following the lead of Nottinghamshire and other councils and evaluating these schemes for possible adoption in Brighton?
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
5. Councillor Earthey
Assuming a positive outcome to the evaluation, by when could BHCC implement a city-wide 'EV Channel Charging', which would allow our residents without off-road parking to charge their electric car at a reasonable cost?
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
6. Councillor Earthey
BHCC's 'Blink Charging' currently costs EV users between 60p/kWh and 78p/kWh, plus a 20p transaction fee. Why are these charges so high, being around double the commercial cost of electricity?
What proportion (if any) of Blink Energy's tariff revenue goes to BHCC?
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
7. Councillor Earthey
Ovingdean, Rottingdean, and West Saltdean have only one of the city's 400+ EV charge points, but we have much more than 1/400th of the city's population. When is BHCC going to address the chronic shortage of public EV charge points in the Ovingdean, Rottingdean, and West Saltdean areas by giving us a fair share?
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
8. Councillor Bagaeen
S106 Moda
Residents in Hove Park are angry about the manner in which S106 allocated under a legally dining agreement have been repurposed against the terms of the legal agreement between the council and Moda. Could you please confirm who took the decision to repurpose the s106 monies which was in place to mitigate the impact of the Moda development on the local community?
Please also confirm how the decision to repurpose the s106 funds was taken and why was this not formally communicated when the decision was taken to members of the Moda Community Liaison Group, a formal group that has had senior officer membership and support for a little over two years.
Reply from Councillor – Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee
9. Councillor McNair
Is it true that the Labour Group have commissioned Gendered Intelligence to conduct Cllr Thompson’s ‘re-education’ and Labour Group training?
How can the council and the public have confidence in the Labour Administration when there is publicly available concern that Gendered Intelligence consistently misrepresent the law, not least in their co-authorship of the report Transforming Futures, within which it attacks the principles of consent to sex?
How does this
a) align with current laws around consent and
b) align with the administration’s commitment to a strategy to tackle violence against women and girls?
Reply from Councillor – Taylor / Helliwell, Joint Chairs of Children, Families & Schools Committee
10. Councillor McNair
Bins at Carden Park
Carden Park is a very popular park. It is also home to a thriving community centre. Could there be an increased number of bins and recycling bins placed at Carden Park, near the community centre, to encourage a reduction in litter and improve recycling rates?
Reply from Councillor – Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee
11. Councillor Lyons
Pothole repairs
Is the council considering the implementation of a public system for monitoring, prioritising and planning for pothole repairs, according to safety and especially volume of cars etc?
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
12. Councillor Lyons
New crossing at Hangleton Road crossroads
Why has the council decided that anyone walking from Snakey Hill direction can't cross at the new crossing at the Hangleton Road crossroads? Despite putting in lights, it's still dangerous to cross.
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
13. Councillor Lyons
Santa Bus
Will the council work with Brighton & Hove Buses to bring the Santa Bus to Withdean next year?
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
14. Councillor Theobald
Patcham Roundabout
I observe that the landscaping improvements at the unsightly Patcham roundabout on the A23 at the entrance to our City have still not been started.
Please can you print out on the agenda the reply to my most recent question on this subject earlier this year, the reasons why yet again the assurances given to me have failed to be implemented and when after all these years works will start.
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
15. Councillor Theobald
Change of use for Hippodrome
Please can you advise me of the grounds for planning permission for change of use of the Hippodrome from bingo to live performance and entertainment being refused under delegated powers?
Reply from Councillor – Loughran, Chair of Planning Committee
16. Councillor Meadows
Flooding in Warmdene Road
Flooding in Warmdene Road is worsening, and more properties are being regularly affected. When is the report into flooding in Warmdene Road likely to be ready? When are flood gates to newly affected properties likely to be installed?
Reply from Councillor – Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee
17. Councillor McNair
Lighting at Old Boat Corner Community Centre
It is extremely dark around Old Boat Corner, especially in winter, making the centre challenging to access and potentially dangerous. Will the possibility of additional lighting be investigated?
Reply from Councillor – Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee
18. Councillor Hill
Currently there are £4,284,541 of unallocated Section 106 funding which can be committed for education infrastructure. At the last CHSTE committee meeting, it was stated that the Council is ‘currently reviewing demand for infrastructure across the city to address issues, including falling numbers on roll, SEN provision and Alternative Provision. As part of these proposals, they will be seeking to maximise the use of existing S106 funding the council has secured for education, in order to minimise the revenue borrowing costs the council will incur. Will the Council consider consultation with local schools and parents about how best to use these funds? Can it provide further information as to any stipulations behind this money, such as where funds need to be committed to a specific geographical area and whether or not it can be used for youth services? How much does the Council expect to use to cover revenue borrowing costs?
Reply from Councillor – Taylor / Helliwell, Joint Chairs of Children, Families & Schools committee
19. Councillor Shanks
As a draft budget has not been brought to the December Committee can the administration tell us what processes are in place to allow scrutiny of budget proposals by opposition and community groups?
Reply from Councillor – Sankey, Leader of the Council
20. Councillor Hill
Can the council explain if, and when, a change of policy was agreed on the community’s purchase and use of planters? Residents in my ward are willing to buy their own planter which will also have the added benefit of helping prevent fly tipping in a spot that is well known for litter.
Reply from Councillor – Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee
21. Councillor Shanks
What are the total savings generated by items being brought forward to this financial year which would ordinarily be left to the February budget?
Reply from Councillor – Sankey, Leader of the Council
22. Councillor Hill
Will Councillor Trevor Muten meet with Round Hill residents who are concerned with rat running? They have repeatedly asked him for this to no avail thus far.
Reply from Councillor – Muten, Chair of Transport & Sustainability Committee
23. Councillor West
What legal basis is there for the recent move to restrict official opposition spokespeople from receiving officer briefings for committee and council meetings?
All elected members have equal voting rights in committees, but some are now being deliberately kept in the dark about the council's business.
Well informed scrutiny and the opportunity to recommend improvements are essential to ensuring service are delivered well. So how can the restrictions on access to information and involvement, councillors are now face with, be explained as a good thing?
Reply from Councillor – Sankey, Leader of the Council
24. Councillor Shanks
Will the administration undertake to pursue the divestment of any shares in fossil fuels from the East Sussex Pension Fund?
Reply from Councillor – Sankey, Leader of the Council
25. Councillor Mcleay
How can the Council better support and empower the SWEP service to secure a venue that provides more flexible emergency shelter provision? Given we are just entering winter, and SWEP has been in operation for over 12 days consecutively, can more funding be allocated to this service and help save lives?
Reply from Councillor – Williams, Chair of Housing & New Homes Committee
26. Councillor Shanks
When is the administration planning to convene the next Climate assembly? Following the transport one it was agreed to use the same process for other issues and housing was the suggested next topic.
Reply from Councillor – Sankey, Leader of the Council
27. Councillor Shanks
Seaside homes- please provide an update on the situation with seaside homes.
Reply from Councillor – Williams, Chair of Housing & New Homes Committee
28. Councillor Pickett
Brighton & Hove is home to a huge and unique elm tree collection and has been designated as holder of the UK national elm collection. However, we are losing elm trees faster than ever before because people are bringing infected logs into the city. What extra precautions have the council taken to maintain this special collection and to improve messaging regarding the spread of elm disease and the movement of diseased and infected elm logs around the city, particularly as this is the time of year when residents are buying logs for popular wood burners?
Reply from Councillor – Rowkins, Chair of City Environment, South Downs & The Sea Committee