Date of meeting: 27 June 2024

A maximum period of fifteen minutes in total shall be made available at each meeting of the Executive for questions from Members of the Council.

The questions included on the list of questions referred to above shall be taken as read at the Cabinet meeting. The question will be answered either orally or at the discretion of the Chair by a written answer circulated after the meeting. Officers may assist the Leader or a Cabinet Member with technical answers to questions. No supplementary questions shall be permitted.

The following written questions have been received from Members:

(1) Councillor Shanks- Commercial and Residential (non HRA) Property Disposals

Will the administration guarantee that no properties will be disposed of that could be used for housing by the council?

(2) Councillor Shanks- Homewood

What plans are there for the use of buildings which were formerly schools including Homewood, Hertford, St Peters and St Barts. Meanwhile or permanent

(3) Councillor McNair- Developments around Social, Emotional and Mental Health Educational Provision

With the closure of Homewood School, what measures will be put in place to ensure these SEN pupils, the majority of whom are on free school meals, receive appropriate support in school?

(4) Councillor McNair- Developments around Social, Emotional and Mental Health Educational Provision

What is the likelihood that the public consultation in item 12 The Future of Homewood College, could keep Homewood open?

(5) Councillor McNair- A259 Cycle Lane

Why is £1.2m of funding for Valley Gardens being reallocated to the A259 Fourth Avenue to Wharf Road cycle lane Scheme?

(6) Councillor McNair- A259 Cycle Lane

How will the loss of £1.2m impact Valley Gardens 3 project?

(7) Councillor McNair- Thriving Communities Investment Fund

Investment is earmarked at £1.824m per annum, £7.297m over four years, subject to annual budget setting by Budget Council in February each year, for a Thriving Communities Investment Fund. Where will the anticipated money for the ‘Thriving Communities Investment Fund’ be found?

(8) Councillor McNair- Thriving Communities Investment Fund

What groups will this fund target?

(9) Councillor McNair- Thriving Communities Investment Fund

Who will be on the ‘lived experience’ panel (3.4)? Will it include councillors?

(10) Councillor McNair- TBM Provisional Outturn 2023/24

There are 33 schools (out of a total of 61 maintained schools) that have overspends at the end of the 2023/24 financial year. This represents 54% of all schools. What measures is the council taking to ensure schools remain within budget?

(11) Councillor McNair- TBM Provisional Outturn 2023/24

What are the potential school organisational changes which are anticipated to give rise to additional costs that would not be chargeable to the Dedicated Schools Grant? (4.5)

(12) Councillor McNair- TBM Provisional Outturn 2023/24

“£3.945m (28%) of the substantial savings package in 2023/24 of £14.173m was not achievable largely due to exceptional inflationary pressures experienced during the year.” (1.4). Now that inflation is at 2%, what measures are being put in place to ensure this debt is brought under control?

(13) Councillor McNair- Emergency Accommodation Management Services Pilot

What is the amount paid for this pilot, and to whom?

(14) Councillor McNair- Emergency Accommodation Management Services Pilot

How much will this pilot scheme cost? Is this additional funding? If so, where would it come from?

(15) Councillor McNair- Emergency Accommodation Management Services Pilot

Paragraph ‘5.3 says Potential providers of services have been consulted on the development of the service specification.’

Where does the responsibility lie for this management and support service? If landlords are responsible, how is this scheme different from the current scheme? How will landlords be chosen? How many properties would be affected? Would this include properties of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ landlords?

(16) Councillor McLeay- Homes for Brighton & Hove- Sackville Trading Estate

Will you ensure us that the profits from this project will be ringfenced for additional council housing?

(17) Councillor McLeay- Emergency Accommodation Management Services Pilot

Will officers be producing a resident’s survey at the start of the pilot and another with the same questions at the end of the pilot and reported back to cabinet? Will we see a measured account of outcomes from the pilot?

(18) Councillor McLeay- Emergency Accommodation Management Services Pilot

We’ve not seen a Housing Performance Report since housing committee in June 2023 (used to be quarterly), making it difficult to gauge the rise in costs. Is it because of rising numbers of homeless or that costs are increasing? In June, the housing need was 1,791 households for temporary and emergency on the last day of Q4. What is the number now?

(19) Councillor McLeay- Emergency Accommodation Management Services Pilot

There is particularly bad management of William Collier currently. How do we expect new outside management will operate better or differently so to avoid a similar situation?

(20) Councillor Goldsmith- Preventing and tackling violence against women and girls, domestic abuse, and sexual violence – Brighton & Hove City

Council’s strategic direction 2024-2028

I'm pleased to see that the council is taking an intersectional approach to this strategy, which was clearly important to many of those who responded to the consultation. Nearly 19% of respondents to the consultation also said yes in some capacity to having a long-term health problem or disability, and we know that disabled women are far more likely than average to experience both domestic abuse and sexual harassment. What will the administration be doing to ensure that the needs of disabled people are taken into account throughout the development of the strategy, and to make sure that all services offered as part of the strategy, will be fully accessible to everyone who may need them?