Council

Agenda Item 53

Subject:                    Petition for Debate

Date of meeting:    19 December 2024

Report of:                 Corporate Director for Corporate Services

Contact Officer:      Name: Anthony Soyinka

                                    Tel: 01273 291006

                                    Email: anthony.soyinka@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Ward(s) affected:   All

FOR GENERAL RELEASE

1.      SUMMARY AND POLICY CONTEXT:

1.1 Under the Council’s Petition Scheme if a petition contains more than 1,250 signatures and is not petition requesting officer evidence, it will be debated by the Full Council.

2.      RECOMMENDATIONS:

2.1 That the petition is noted.

3.      RELEVANT BACKGROUND INFORMATION / CHRONOLOGY OF KEY EVENTS:

3.1      To receive the following petition signed by 1981 people at time of publication:

Halt the current consultation into school admission boundaries

We the undersigned petition Brighton & Hove Council to Halt the current consultation into school admission boundaries to allow for a meaningful, impartial and evidence based consultation.

On Wednesday the 9th of October the council met and discussed (as an addendum) a proposal for changing school boundaries. A poorly publicised, rushed and flawed consultation has already seen many questions raised about the process including (but not limited to):

- limited data available on the proposed schemes impacts. That which is available not presented in an accessible way

- limited time and opportunity for feedback from the key community the council should be seeking feedback from (parents) with meetings at times when parents are putting kids to bed etc) and with limited warning to plan for this.

- a leading and flawed questionnaire that forces people to answer yes or no to complex questions

The proposals have far reaching implications and although the objectives of reducing inequality are welcomed, the process by which this has been managed so far is not adequate for a meaningful consultation.

4.      PROCEDURE:

4.1 The petition will be debated at the Council meeting in accordance with the agreed protocol:

(i) The Lead petitioner will be invited by the Mayor to present the petition and will have up to 3 minutes in which to outline the petition and confirm the number of signatures;

(ii) The Mayor will then open the matter up for debate by councillors for period of 15 minutes and will first call on the relevant Cabinet Member to respond to the petition and move a proposed response. The Mayor will then call on those councillors who have indicated a desire to speak in the matter, before calling on the relevant Cabinet Member to respond to the debate;

(iii) An amendment to the recommendation in paragraph 2.1 of the report or to add additional recommendations should be submitted by 10.00am on the day before the meeting; otherwise it will be subject to the Mayor’s discretion as to being appropriate.  Any such amendment will need to be formally moved and seconded at the meeting;

(iv) After the 15 minutes set aside for the debate, the Mayor will then formally put:

(v) (a) Any amendments in the order in which they are moved, and

(b) The substantive recommendation(s) as amended (if amended).