Subject: Written questions from Councillors
Date of meeting: 30 January 2025
Report of: Director of Governance & Law
Contact Officer: Name: Anthony Soyinka
Tel: 01273 291006
Email: anthony.soyinka@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Ward(s) affected: All
For general release
The following questions have been received from Councillors and will be taken as read along with the written answer detailed below:
1. Councillor West
Many of our residents have been left shocked at the collapse of the Magpie Green box service. This much-loved subscription service predates the council's own door-step recycling service. In fact Green Box showed the way forward, embarrassing the then Labour council to commence its own door-step service. Council recycling rates have always been poor, which comes down to the limited range of items recycled and insufficient communications to explain and incentivise more households to recycle more and better. The City’s super-recyclers stayed loyal to Magpie despite being charged as they knew there were better outcomes being achieved. Super-recyclers set the bar, and the loss of Green Box is a loss to the city. Will the Council now set up a subscription scheme for super-recyclers so those standard bearers can continue to show the way to raising recycling rates more generally?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
2. Councillor West
I’m sure the Leader of the Council would agree with me, in saying how proud we all are that the Council is endeavouring to create a more respectful environment for its staff and ‘customers’. As a council we have long sought to support and share the adoption of good values in the city. The corporate values we see exhibited by Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter) however, do seem far removed from and at odds with what the City Council stands for. X has been a popular communication tool for reaching residents, but I see there is now a growing movement of individuals and organisations abandoning X and migrating to other platforms like Bluesky. Is it not high time the Council showed its leadership and joined the exodus too?
Reply from Councillor Sankey, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Chair:
3. Councillor Sykes
Would the lead for Environment and Net Zero care to comment on this excerpt from a January 2025 email from a B&A resident, with profanities removed: "The rubbish bin at the top of Lansdowne Place looks like we have had a 2 week dustmen strike and all of ours are overflowing again. Just at what point does the administration get to grips with this?"
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
4. Councillor Sykes
Can the administration provide Cllr attendance figures on Personnel Appeal Panels since May 2023.
Reply from Councillor Sankey, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Chair:
5. Councillor Sykes
Can the administration provide Cllr attendance figures on Licensing Panels since May 2023.
Reply from Councillor McGregor, Chair of Licensing Committee:
6. Councillor Sykes
Parking income: can B&HCC revenue figures be provided for the first seven months of the 2024-25 financial year with respect to (a) parking permit fees (resident and visitor) (b) suspended bay fees (c) Net Penalty Charge Notice revenue from parking infractions (d) off- street parking revenue (e) on- street parking revenue.
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
7. Councillor Sykes
Can Cllr Pumm provide an update on the future of the memorial at Palmeira Square following concerns raised by a Brunswick and Adelaide resident at last Full Council and undertakings made by Cllr Alexander?
Reply from Councillor Pumm, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities & Human Rights:
8. Councillor West
Springfield Road residents are neighbourly folk and keen to improve their local environment. For many months they have been patiently and tenaciously seeking a replacement street which will also act as a memorial for a lost loved one. A tree pit was created and this month a tree was planted by contractors. Contractors then returned, removed the tree and told residents the pit would be removed too. Following contact with officers and Councillor Muten by ward councillors and residents a new tree suddenly appeared along with a protective cage. It is of course panto season, but can the Councillor Muten please explain what on earth has been going on?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
9. Councillor Pickett
With the increased tendering out of various council services to private companies, can the administration please confirm if it is the aim to outsource as much senior adult social care provision as possible, as evidenced by the recent removal of dementia beds at Ireland Lodge at a time when older people are living longer, and people living with dementia becomes more likely?
Reply from Councillor Burden, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care, Public Health & Service Transformation:
10. Councillor Pickett
Does the administration really not think that a freeze on recruitment may prove counterproductive? What if there isn’t the capability within the lower ranks for someone to step up into a role, yet filling that role is essential to realising savings of greater value than that person's salary?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
11. Councillor Hill
Does the administration support the merging of East and West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service for the purpose of having both under the remit of the new Sussex mayor? When do you believe this should be achieved by?
Reply from Councillor Sankey, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Chair:
12. Councillor Hill
In conversations with Marianne Overton the LGA independent Chair, the Minister for Local Government, Jim McMahon has indicated a willingness to give the powers to call in major planning applications to certain new mayors rather than with the new enlarged unitary authorities. Does the Council lead believe that Mayors should be responsible for the call in of major planning applications?
Reply from Councillor Williams, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Housing & New Homes
13. Councillor Hill
The new glyphosate contract is up for its annual renewal. When the council prepared to set up an opt out system to ensure a more formal system for communities to revert to using manual weeding?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
14. Councillor Hill
Rainy weather during glyphosate spraying meant that for a great many places the spraying had little to no effect in removing weeds, will that be taken into account with the new weeding contract?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
15. Councillor Hill
At the emergency Cabinet meeting, the Leader of the Council indicated her support for the supplementary vote election system for the Sussex Mayor. The government has stated that all regional Mayors will be elected through First Past the Post. What is the Leader of the Council doing to lobby the government on this matter? It comes across as though the government isn’t listening.
Reply from Councillor Sankey, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Chair:
16. Councillor Hill
Are Cityclean culture change stakeholder meetings still ongoing?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
17. Councillor Hill
What is the Council doing to protect bus services to Ditchling Beacon?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
18. Councillor Shanks
The Level will be used a lot more in the next couple of years for hosting outdoor events due to the VG3 compound being sited at the Level. The site used by the circus at The Level has been left in no fit state since September meaning it can’t be used by residents or sports groups. No Fit State event organisers would have paid into a bond. How much and where is the No Fit State Circus Bond money? Has it been returned and when will the site be repaired.
Reply from Councillor Miller, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage & Tourism:
19. Councillor Shanks
Will the council consider introducing a levy for all outdoor events held on The Level, St Peters and Richmond Square, Victoria Gardens, and the Old Steine which would, for example, go into the Level Forum Community trust fund and be used for upkeep of the green areas, and to the benefit of the community groups and users of those areas?
Reply from Councillor Miller, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage & Tourism:
20. Councillor Shanks
Has there been any interest in anyone taking on the Velo Cafe site?
Reply from Councillor Robins, Cabinet Member for Sports & Recreation:
21. Councillor Shanks
Has a tenant been found for the McClaren Pavilion Kiosk? When will the toilets be open?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
22. Councillor Shanks
Will the council consider introducing the requirement of all Event Organisers to produce a publicly available Environmental impact statement as part of the license agreement?
Reply from Councillor Miller, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage & Tourism:
23. Councillor Shanks
How does the food strategy align with our allotment strategy?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
24. Councillor McLeay
Recently I attended a residents meeting at Theobald House where an update was shared on the progress of major works for the building. Given the complication of the BSR requirements and a delayed application time, as well as further consultation needed with contractors and leaseholders, it was suggested the works would not start until as late as March 2026. This raised concerns for residents regarding the allocated funds for these works and the potential risk of the funds being lost to other projects considering a difficult budget setting period. Could you confirm if the original monetary commitment for these works has been ringfenced for Theobald House, and that it will not be impacted by budget setting over the coming month?
Reply from Councillor Williams, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Housing & New Homes:
25. Councillor Lyons
Will the contract with RNLI provide the same number of lifeguards & cover the same beaches as when the service was in-house? How do the two budgets & costings compare?
Reply from Councillor Miller, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage & Tourism:
26. Councillor Hogan
Is the council looking into returning to cleaning up fallen leaves to avoid drain blockages and floods? It must be more expensive to deal with the flooding than collecting the leaves.
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
27. Councillor Lyons
How much has B&H Council paid out to residents in 2024 from damage caused by potholes & flooding?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
28. Councillor Hogan
Why were none of the main roads out of Brighton gritted when the weather warnings were saying snow was forecast?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
29. Councillor Lyons
Thank you for responding in December 2024 as to why Brighton & Hove Council lags other councils in PET1 recycling.
However, why does B&H only accept PET1 in the form of plastic bottles but not in any other shape? How do other councils recycle these materials with no trouble? What equipment do they have which Hollingdean does not have? Why does Veolia provide such limited recycling in Brighton?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
30. Councillor Hogan
Are plans in place to recycle more of our household items?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
31. Councillor Hogan
The parking bays on Shirley Drive are too close to residents’ drives and often too close to each other. Would it be possible to have a review of the position of the bays so as to reduce the possibility of an accident?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
32. Councillor McNair
There is a building site in Winfield Avenue. There appears to be no work happening. Also, children have been filmed climbing on the roofs of the buildings. This has been reported to the council. What is happening to this building site, and do we know when the housing will be completed? In the meantime, are there plans to make the building site safe?
Reply from Councillor Williams, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Housing & New Homes:
33. Councillor Meadows
Why are residents in Birch Grove Crescent unable to report missed recycling via the council’s website using the postcode BN1 8DP? Recycling is often not collected in this location.
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
34. Councillor Meadows
Residents in Patcham will be severely affected by Park & Ride in Mill Road. Will Patcham residents have a consultation?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
35. Councillor McNair
One side of the clock at the top of Patcham clocktower appears to have lost a hand. Can this be replaced? There is also stonework erosion at the base of the tower. Can this be repaired before it gets worse? Patcham clocktower is an important landmark, built in the 1930s.
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
36. Councillor Meadows
Recycling was not collected in Cedars Gardens for 6 weeks. When it was finally collected residents were told it was put into general refuse. What solutions are being considered so residents can receive the fortnightly service they are paying for?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
37. Councillor McNair
All Saints Church Patcham has two open-top wire bins in the churchyard which are very unsightly with dog poo bags open to the elements and everyone’s view. Cityclean have been contacted with no response. Can these bins be replaced with regular black bins?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
38. Councillor Fishleigh
When does BHCC anticipate that the Black Rock brief will be presented to the cabinet? Will that be before the budget?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
39. Councillor Fishleigh
Can BHCC give a date for when the new Promenade link at Black Rock will be completed and open to public use?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
40. Councillor Fishleigh
Is it BHCC’s intention to open the new link without street lighting?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
41. Councillor Fishleigh
When does BHCC anticipate that the low level lighting on the board walk will function?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
42. Councillor Fishleigh
Cable has been laid and installation points provided for street lighting along Madeira Drive East. When will BHCC start the installation?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
43. Councillor Fishleigh
Dukes Mound Kemptown is unlit. Please can BHCC supply a timeline to install street lighting?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
44. Councillor Fishleigh
Does BHCC anticipate that the events team will use the Black Rock site in 2025 to host community and/or commercial outdoor activities?
Reply from Councillor Miller, Cabinet Member for Culture, Heritage & Tourism:
45. Councillor Fishleigh
Heritage lanterns on Madeira Drive and Marine Parade street lights were removed for safety reasons several years ago for repair and restoration. Please provide a detailed timeline of the complete replacement programme.
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration / Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
46. Councillor Fishleigh
Can BHCC confirm that phase two of the Madeira Terrace restoration is funded as per budget meeting in Feb 2021?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
47. Councillor Fishleigh
Please provide an update on BHCC's intention for repairing and bringing the Madeira Drive Concorde 2 lift back into use.
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
48. Councillor Earthey
The Decarbonising Pathways Study was presented in December, having initially been written in May. Does the delay in opening it to comment from concerned residents, fit well with the urgency implied by declaring a Climate Emergency?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
49. Councillor Earthey
Has the 2024 Weed Management Campaign based on Glyphosate been a success in terms of its original objectives and terms of reference?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
50. Councillor Earthey
How many areas of the City opted out of using Glyphosate, and tackled the weed problem manually?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
51. Councillor Earthey
Did the results of manual weed removed compare favourably with those using Glyphosate?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
52. Councillor Earthey
What lessons from the 2024 Campaign can be learned for the 2025 Weed Management Campaign, including the use (or not) of Glyphosate?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
53. Councillor Earthey
Can and will BHCC commit to ensuring that resident-groups intending to opt out of any 2025 Campaign based on chemical weedkillers will be properly equipped with tools appropriate to manual weed removal?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
54. Councillor Earthey
Can and will BHCC commit to banning the use of Neonicotinoids pesticides on its parks, green spaces, and other land because of their known toxicity to bees?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
55. Councillor Earthey
How will the rise in Employers’ NI contributions impact on BHCC’s current staffing costs?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
56. Councillor Earthey
Will the rise in Employers’ NI contributions prevent BHCC from being able to replace current staff lost through natural wastage, and prevent the hire of new staff for expanding areas such as AI and climate change?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
57. Councillor Earthey
The i360 consists of the tower itself and some entertainment space around the base. Is it possible to re-open the entertainment space so that there will be some revenue coming in from events, and lessen the number of staff redundancies?
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
58. Councillor Earthey
Is the level of 2025 BHCC funding for the Brighton and Hove Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Education Programme for ‘Our City Our World’ be increased to at least match inflation?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
59. Councillor Earthey
Many if not most schools in the City have ageing fossil-fuel boilers which are coming up for replacement, or due for major servicing involving new parts that are increasingly hard to obtain. The risk of a systemic, large-scale heating-system failure across the City’s schools is rising. At the same time, Central Government is committed to phasing out fossil-fuel boilers. Does BHCC have sufficient funds to cover a city-wide programme of fossil-fuel boiler-repair and/or boiler-replacement if requested by the City’s schools or caused by systemic failure?
Reply from Councillor Daniel, Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Youth Services & for Ending Violence Against Women & Girls:
60. Councillor Earthey
Are any pilot schemes being offered to Brighton schools who wish to trial greener, non-fossil-fuel heating technologies? (By acting as a ‘Guinea Pig’ for the trial, the school would receive a subsidy for switching to the new heating technology.)
Reply from Councillor Daniel, Cabinet Member for Children, Families, Youth Services & for Ending Violence Against Women & Girls:
61. Councillor Bagaeen
Snakey Hill (King George VI Avenue) in Westdene and Hove Park impassable with a small amount of snow on 8 January 2025. The Toads Hole Valley development site is on Snakey Hill and roads in and out of the site connect into Snakey Hill.
Will the Council open conversations with the new owners of the Toads Hole Valley development site to revisit access roads ahead of the site’s planning permission hitting its 3 year anniversary in June 2025?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
62. Councillor Bagaeen
When Hove was hit by snow in early January 2025, Court Farm Road and Snakey Hill Snakey Hill (King George VI Avenue) very quickly became impassable. As a council, we must be better prepared and more resilient. In December 2022, when the delicately put together gritting rota for Brighton and Hove’s residential streets fell apart, I challenged the then administration to do better next time. The speed by which chaos descended on 8 January 2025 looks like the snow had taken everyone by surprise.
What went wrong with the street gritting rota on 8 January 2025? And how can the Council do better next time to keep our roads open?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
63. Councillor Bagaeen
For residents living off Colebrook Road, by the Withdean Sports Complex, it has become increasingly dangerous exiting from side roads onto Colebrook Road, especially since the introduction of paid parking at the Sports Complex. Most recently, there was an road traffic collision on Boxing Day.
Would the Council agree to installing mirrors on the opposite side of the road to serve the three roads off Colebrook Road?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm:
64. Councillor Bagaeen
The Deneway railway tunnel as you enter Westdene has been heavily targeted with graffiti in recent weeks. Residents have expressed concerns that this could begin to spread into Westdene shops if not tackled more quickly and regularly.
What is the Council’s plan for partnering with Network Rail to target graffiti and tagging in Westdene?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport, Parking & Public Realm: