1. Purpose of the report and policy context

1.1 This report is in response to a deputation presented to the Culture, Tourism and Economic Development Committee on 9^th November 2023 from the Remembrance Planning Committee, convened by the Mayor’s Office, requesting a review of the current budget.

1.2 Contained in this report is a summary of the current Remembrance activities carried out and the associated costs to Brighton & Hove City Council.

2. Recommendations

2.1 That Committee notes the increased costs associated with delivery of the Remembrance activities and

2.2 That Committee agrees to consider an increase to the annual Civic Office budget to support Remembrance Day activities at set out at paragraph 3.8.

3. Context and background information

3.1 The Remembrance events in the city remain a key civic celebration and encompass ceremonies at Brighton, Hove and Portslade War Memorials. While Brighton & Hove City Council manage the planning for the Brighton War memorial, the ceremonies at Hove and Portslade, for the last three years, have been overseen by the Vicars of All Saints Hove and St Nicholas Portslade respectively.

3.2 All activities are coordinated via the Remembrance Planning Committee, convened by the Mayor’s office. The Planning Committee consists of over 40 representatives and meet at least 4 times a year in preparation for the ceremonies. Attendance at meetings is usually between 15 and 20 members.

3.3 There is a current budget of £400 per annum via the Civic Office budget offered towards the external running costs of the events overseen by the Remembrance Planning Committee which has not been reviewed for a number of years. This fund is spent almost entirely on the purchase cost of remembrance wreaths.

3.4 In addition to the £400 budget administered by the Remembrance Planning Committee, the Council incurs direct costs in providing security, traffic management and other support to Remembrance Weekend events. In 2023 Brighton & Hove City Council spent £11,799.13 on additional costs for the delivery of the Remembrance Weekend Ceremonies. These costs are currently carried by the Outdoor Events Team Expenses Budget.

3.5 These additional costs break down as follows:

Table 1 Direct Costs incurred by the council for Remembrance Events

By Location	Total Cost
Old Steine, Brighton	£5,127.97
Grand Avenue, Hove	£2,449.57
Portslade	£2,285.06
Rottingdean	£1,334.40
logistics/admin and radios used across all sites	£602.13
Total	£11,799.13

By Function	Cost
Refreshments	£74.00
Barriers	£740.00
Salvation Army Donation	£200.00
Booklet Printing	£135.00
Chair Hire	£131.40
Fireworks	£0.00
PA/ Crew	£2,846.50
Traffic Management	£4,875.60
Security & Stewarding (Road Closures)	£2,796.63
Total	£11,799.13

3.6 There is potential for some small reduction in these costs where there is a lower risk identified by Sussex Police but there is also potential for increased security costs if the national risk measures increase in the future.

3.7 Currently, All Saints Church Hove carry £210 per annum in costs for the All Saints Remembrance Ceremony Cost that the Remembrance Planning Committee believes that they should not bear. Under an increased budget administered by the Remembrance Planning Committee these costs would be covered within the increase of £1,100 recommended in this report.

3.8 It is therefore proposed that the Civic Office Budget of £400 allocated to support Remembrance Day arrangements and administered by the Remembrance Planning Committee be increased to £1,500. The additional £1,100 would be transferred from the Legal Services Budget. The additional budget would be used to cover the costs set out at paragraph 3.7 above and to further support Remembrance Weekend activities identified by the Remembrance Planning Committee.

3.9 Table 2 sets out the number of bays suspended for Remembrance Sunday. These bays are suspended for a mix of required space to safely deliver the memorial activities and some additional bays to ensure attendance of key personnel.

Table 2

Location	Number of bays
Old Steine	10
Old Steine Royal York Buildings	4
Madeira Drive loading bay	3
Grand Avenue	11
Norton Road Car Park	7

3.10 On the basis of current charging frameworks the above suspensions would usually be charged at a rate of £24 per bay. The total cost of suspensions currently waved is therefore £840. It is recommended that the loss of income as a result of the suspension of parking spaces will be minimised and managed by Parking Services.

4. Analysis and consideration of alternative options

4.1 The committee may be minded to maintain the current grant. This may put the remembrance ceremonies in Hove and Portslade in jeopardy as local funding for activities is not guaranteed.

4.2 The committee may consider an increase to the grant other than the £1,500 proposed. To cover the costs of current activities at all three sites a minimum of £800 would be required.

The committee may be minded to agree recommendation 1.1 and increase the grant but also to use some of this funding to cover the loss of parking income. This has not been recommended because an annual sum of £1500 is designed to withstand inflationary pressures and unforeseen costs for external organisers. The loss of income as a result of the suspension of parking spaces will be minimised and managed by Parking Services.

5. Community engagement and consultation

5.1 Relevant communities have been engaged through the large membership of the event planning committee. All organisations have been asked to feed back to the committee on the subject of the future of the Remembrance Ceremonies.

6. Conclusion

6.1 It is noted that the current grant has not been reviewed for a number of years and is now inadequate to deliver the current scale of activities. In order to maintain the current activities and to safeguard their future an increase in the grant would be required. Without additional funding there is a significant risk that activities funded by the parishes will not be able to continue.

7. Financial implications

7.1 Agreeing to recommendation 2.1 would request an increase to the Civic Office budget from £400 to £1,500 as highlighted in paragraph 3.8, for which £1,100 budget would be transferred from existing Legal Services budgets to support this.

7.2 The Parking service currently provide bay suspension at a number of locations as highlighted in table 2. These suspensions are made free of charge and are being financed by the council. Any significant

variations to budget will be reported as part of the council’s monthly budget monitoring process.

Name of finance officer consulted: John Lack Date consulted: 12/02/2024

8. Legal implications

8.1 There are no legal implications arising from this report.

Name of lawyer consulted: Elizabeth Culbert Date consulted 07/02/2024:

9. Equalities implications

9.1 The proposals set out in this report will support the delivery of Remembrance Services in the City. There are no adverse equalities impacts identified.

9.2 The council's Remembrance activities foster good relations between communities by supporting cross-community and intergenerational understanding. The activities support and enable diverse faith organisations to meet and participate together on an equal platform.

9.3 The events support the representation of minority groups - such as Gurka and Sikh veterans - within the Armed Forces Community to participate in national remembrance day events.

9.4 The activities enable the engagement of intersectional groups within the armed forces communities to take part in commemorative days of importance, such as disabled veterans, older people's groups or LGBTQ Armed Forces groups. In addition, the activities support sharing community experiences of responses to conflict to build resilience in current communities experiencing displacement or seeking refuge from war.

9.5 Remembrance Day offers the council the opportunity to develop it’s understanding of the needs of our veteran population and their families. The council's ongoing commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant is a key foundation to working with diverse communities to present an inclusive and appropriate series of Remembrance Day events.

10. Sustainability implications

10.1 Some costs are associated with the printing of free pamphlets for attendees at the ceremonies. In 2023 a digital version of this document was trialed and a QR code used for people to view the order of service at Brighton. While this can be expanded, it must be noted that some attendees will not be able to access or view a digital alternative so a physical order of service will remain essential currently.

11. Other Implications

Crime & disorder implications:

11.1 Remembrance ceremonies have the potential to be a target of protest or disorder. The risk of any actions is examined by Police in advance of the ceremonies and a risk assessment is shared with the committee. It should be noted that there is risk of increased cost if any potential risk is identified in the preparations for the remembrance weekend.

1. Background documents

Deputation CHSTE Committee 9^th November 2023