Council                                                           Agenda Item 79

Subject:                    Deputations from members of the public.

Date of meeting:    1 February 2024

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 following which one Member of the council, nominated by the mayor, may speak in response. It shall then be moved by the mayor and voted on without discussion that the spokesperson for the deputation be thanked for attending and its subject matter noted.

Notification of one Deputation has been received. The spokesperson is entitled to speak for 5 minutes.

(2) Deputation concerning Air Quality

Supported by:

Dr Lauren Davis

Dr I N Stevenson

Dr Dominic Nee

Dr Charles Kind

Mr Adrian Hill

Summary of deputation:

Labour, the Green party and Conservatives unanimously voted for the Air Quality Action Plan in November 2022, promising to reduce pollution in our city. The action plan rightly noted that current air pollution in Brighton Hove causes ill health and premature deaths, making it a key concern for residents. The action plan outlined priority measures to improve air quality, including a full clean air zone and a smoke control area, which were noted as some of the most effective measures included in the plan, and ones required to meet the council’s agreed pollution targets and "significantly" reduce emissions. We are therefore extremely disappointed that little progress has been made on these key measures to date, and that Labour have abandoned pre-election promises of curbing vehicle emissions.

The action plan committed to targets such as lowering particulate matter to 8.7ug/m3 by the end of this year, 2024. This is despite there being no safe level for particulate matter and the proposed level exceeding WHO guidelines. And yet, even this unambitious target is unlikely to be achieved, as there has been no substantial reduction, nor sufficient action taken to reduce pollution levels, since these targets were set.

Air pollution affects everyone, even if you don’t have an underlying condition that makes you more vulnerable. As a doctor, I see the effects of poor air quality in this city everyday, and I’d like you to imagine seeing these too. Imagine working in children’s A&E and seeing countless children with breathing difficulties. Imagine seeing a toddler with wheeze and respiratory distress, and seeing that their nursery is adjacent to one of the busiest streets in the city. Imagine not being able to give advice to parents of a child with asthma, to avoid polluted streets on the school run, because there are no un-polluted streets in our city. Imagine being that parent, who does everything they can to improve their child’s health, and yet is powerless to prevent the harm they are

suffering from the air they breathe. You have that power. So far, you have offered vulnerable people in our city a sticking plaster, in targeting idling emissions.

People with illnesses have made decisions about their lives based on the five year action plan, such as whether to stay or to move away from Brighton. Can you assure us that the council’s air pollution targets will be met by the end of the year and explain exactly how? Have air quality scientists approved the new plans?

Have you abandoned this important clean air strategy? We hope you have not. We heard the transport chair Cllr Muten say you have abandoned the clean air zone expansion. You must reconsider its implementation if you are serious about cleaning up our air. If you continue with this hard line approach will you be reissuing the report to show how you will achieve those targets, or will you be crossing your fingers and hoping air quality improves without any action or leadership from yourselves?

You have a duty to vulnerable people in Brighton & Hove to let them know where they stand.

(3) Deputation concerning introducing parking restrictions in Nevill Road and Nevill Avenue, Hove

Supported by:

Don Lee

Mark Bellchambers

Norma Riley

Rosi Porter

Robert Cook

Andrew Jones

Tommy Sowerby

Kerry Sellers

Sean O’Brien

Jenny Herbert

Helen Stafford

Sarah Easter

Summary of deputation:

As residents of Nevill Road and Nevill Avenue, we are increasingly worried about road safety for ourselves, our visitors, and the primary and secondary school children from the surrounding schools.

There has been a problem for a few years with employees from Legal & General and Lloyds TSB using the roads to park during the day. Train passengers using both Hove and Aldrington stations do the same.

Since further parking restrictions have been brought in across Hove, notably around Hove Park, our roads have seen significant increases in long-term parking. Most noticeable are vehicles such as campervans, trade vans, and other large vehicles. Volumes increase at the weekends and during holiday periods.

This situation will only get worse for residents when the new Sackville Estate development opens. The problem will be further compounded when the planned housing in the Orchard Road area opens.  These new developments will have insufficient parking for the number of homes being built. 

I’m well aware of the situation from my own experience and from reading all the comments shared by residents post consultation. These parked vehicles, particularly the Campervans and trade vans, block the line-of-sight onto our busy roads. The average speed on the roads is 37mph, according to police speed monitoring. The speed limit is 20mph. This makes pulling out of driveways extremely dangerous, not only for us, but also for cyclists. The latter are predominantly school children going to and from the local primary and secondary schools.

Councillor Ivan Lyons sent out the consultation following contact with all residents in Nevill Road and Nevill Avenue up to the Holmes Avenue boundary (all part of the Westdean and Hove Park ward).

The results from the survey were as follows.  123 households responded, 63 residents want a light touch scheme, 14 a full permit scheme and 46 want to retain free parking. 62.6% of responders are seeking a parking restriction scheme. We urge the Administration to take our request seriously, especially as there will be more limited parking than there is now and when the enforcement to restrict parking on the pavements of Nevill Road starts.

Supporting information:

Signatures in support of this action from residents of Nevill Road and Nevill Avenue (I have 25 other consents, from residents who also requested to be added to the deputation).