Council                                                           Agenda Item 22

Subject:                    Deputations from members of the public

Date of meeting:    11 July 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.

(1) Deputation concerning Improved parking, traffic management & safety required on Eldred Avenue

Supported by:

Edward & Victoria Raynard

Andrew Ashton

Rona & Simon Smith

Jonathon & Gemma Tacon

Alan & Margaret Walker

Summary of deputation:

Firstly, I would like to thank the Chair and the committee for the opportunity to present this deputation, bringing attention to the need for better parking, traffic management & safety measures on the southern stretch of Eldred Avenue between Dene Vale and Tongdean Lane, situated on the borders of Westdene and Withdean.

My name is Edward Raynard, I have been a resident of Brighton for 20 years, and have lived on Eldred Avenue since June 2021. Though a relative newcomer, this deputation represents the views of many long-standing residents, some of whom have lived in the area since 1971.

Year on year, residents have witnessed significant increases in traffic, parking congestion, pollution, and driver aggression. The Deneway and Eldred Avenue has become a popular ‘rat-run’ with drivers who divert away from the nearby A23 - Brighton’s main arterial road. Rat-run drivers have a singular focus; the shortest journey time from point A to point B, resulting in high volume of traffic and pollution on unsuitable, narrow residential roads like Eldred Avenue. In 2024, congestion intensified with the introduction of BHCC parking management at Withdean Leisure Centre, Stadium, Withdean Road and Surrenden Road.

This 400 metre section of Eldred Avenue is at breaking point for long periods of the day and cannot cope with current levels of parking and congestion….neither can its residents.

In June 2024, 80% of households in the effected area responded to the survey accompanying this deputation, giving their views and experiences related to traffic and parking problems, including;

- 100% of responses stated the need for something to be done to improve traffic management at the southern end of Eldred Avenue and The Deneway.

- 61% of residents experienced damage to their parked cars from passing traffic.

- 89% witnessed reckless driving, altercations, road rage or aggressive behaviour

Speaking on behalf of the Eldred Avenue residents, I recommend council members review the accompanying survey – it really does highlight the issues. More importantly, the results provide a range of tangible ideas and solutions as to how best Brighton & Hove Council can support this neighbourhood and its road users.

Finally, I would like to thank Chair, the committee and Council for listening, and look forward to further consultation with the appropriate committee members for consideration at its next meeting, including our Ward Councillors who have been supportive to date.

Supporting Information

Attached as Appendix 1

(2) Deputation concerning Provision of recycling services on Sylvan Hall estate by CityClean

Supported by:

Catherine Eden (lead speaker)

Hugh Barney Miller

Timothy Joseph Andrews

Alessandra De Santis

Max Calesini

Cosmo Calesini

Ailsa McWhinnie

Aurelie Elder

Anna Miller

Abigail Smith

Katie Knight

Jean Bairstow

Summary of deputation:

This deputation is addressed to the council administration. Sylvan Hall estate has a long history of failed recycling collections, as evidenced by a long email trail between the residents’ association and CityClean, which councillors Pete West and Raphael Hill have been copied into.   In June 2023, CityClean committed to providing two recycling collections per week to the estate, as our communal recycling bins regularly overflow and items blow around the estate, causing both distress and risk to residents. Residents regularly clear up the mess themselves with large quantities of bin bags. One elderly resident has slipped on the mess and children regularly play amongst and go through any items which are not collected, which poses an obvious hazard. We attach photos to this written submission.

Unfortunately, CityClean have been largely unable to fulfil their promise of two recycling collections per week. Up until very recently, two out of the three recycling locations on Sylvan Hall have only been receiving one collection per week. The third location at Canterbury Drive only receives fortnightly collections, apparently due to difficulties of access because of overhanging trees. As well as the accrual of mess, the irregularity of collections throughout the estate has led to increased flytipping, as some residents assume that as the recycling sites are such a mess, that any unwanted items can be dumped there.

CityClean’s record-keeping of completed collections has been repeatedly inaccurate, and residents have had to physically check the recycling on a regular basis to see for themselves whether it has been collected. This has again been evidenced in a long chain of email correspondence, most recently demonstrated by CityClean claiming that Canterbury Drive recycling is picked up twice a week, which is incorrect, as it is picked up fortnightly, as discussed above.

Over the past few weeks, with continued chasing by residents, CityClean have been able to provide twice-weekly collections on Mondays and Thursdays. This has made an enormous difference. There is currently no overflow of recycling, and flytipping has been much reduced. We are keen to ensure this continues.

We would like to ask the following questions:

1. What can be done to ensure a continued regular twice-weekly provision of recycling services to all three locations on Sylvan Hall, without continual chasing of CityClean by residents?

2. Why is CityClean’s record-keeping about both frequency of and completed recycling collections inaccurate, and what difference will digitalising records make, if it is still reliant on human input? How can residents check to see whether a scheduled recycling collection has actually taken place?

3. Sylvan Hall currently has communal recycling bins, rather than recycling bins for each separate flat. What percentage of Sylvan Hall’s/general Brighton and Hove communal bin recycling gets rejected as contaminated, and how does this compare to recycling collected from individual flats/houses in Brighton and Hove? Do councillors feel that the rate of rejection from communal bins is acceptable? Why can’t recycling be collected from Sylvan Hall’s individual block bin rooms, with an individual recycling bin for each flat?

4. What are our rights as residents regarding an adequate recycling service, and how can these rights be enforced?

5. How will the mandatory (as of 31 March 2026) weekly food waste collections be provided on Sylvan Hall, and in Brighton and Hove generally? Will it be through communal bins, and will CityClean be responsible for providing this service?

Supporting Information:

Attached as Appendix 2