Council Agenda Item 54
Subject: Written questions from members of the public
Date of meeting: 18 December 2025
A period of not more than thirty minutes shall be allowed for questions submitted by a member of the public who either lives or works in the area of the authority at each ordinary meeting of the Council.
Every question shall be put and answered without discussion, but the person to whom a question has been put may decline to answer. The person who asked the question may ask one relevant supplementary question, which shall be put and answered without discussion.
The following written questions have been received from members of the public.
1. Question from Jenny Gibson:
For the majority of my 10 years living in Brighton my street has only ever had one good cleaner. For some months now we haven't had any cleaning done. The street referenced is Windlesham Avenue from the junction of Windlesham Gardens/Windlesham Road to junction with Clifton Hill/Vernon Terrace. Why are we not getting a service which we pay for? My local councillor will confirm this complaint which I make on a regular basis. What action will be taken and when?
Reply from Councillor Rowkins, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Net Zero & Environmental Services:
2. Question from Michael Hutley:
BHCC owns a plot of land in West Saltdean, behind Looes Barn Close, designated as Local Green Space in the West Saltdean Neighbourhood Plan. Several years ago, BHCC sold nearby land and the access track to a farmer. The Saltdean Climate Action Network intends to enhance biodiversity on this plot, but the farmer will not permit volunteers to use the track for access.
Please could BHCC review the sales documents to clarify whether ownership of the track was transferred or exclusive access rights were granted, as this has left the Council and community unable to reach the land? Resolving this is essential, as the Council currently lacks practical access to its own property. The community seeks access urgently to begin biodiversity improvements and ensure ongoing management of this important green space.
Reply from Councillor Taylor, Deputy Leader & Cabinet Member for Finance & City Regeneration:
3. Question from Laura King:
It has now been over 18 months since Brighton and Hove City
Council decided to replace its committee form of governance with a
cabinet form of governance in May 2024.
Has the promised review of this change taken place yet and,
if so, how has the switch to a cabinet system improved democracy
and
public engagement over the committee system as was
promised?
Reply from Councillor Sankey, Leader of the Council
4. Question from Robert Brown:
Anti-Social Behaviour continues to rise across Kemptown
Ward, with victims now having to wait over a year before action is
taken and relief is given. Many of these perpetrators are BHCC
tenants. So it seems as if BHCC are not following their own
advice on their own policy.
Victims dealing with BHCC are met with indifference,
delays, non response from council officers and a lack of
support. It is felt that the perpetrators are given leniency
at every step and victims are feeling let down by BHCC as they are
continually asked to do the work of the Council themselves, risking
additional ASB towards them.
Will the Cabinet Member for Housing give assurances that
they will look at the policy, timings and triggers for action
within that policy to ensure victims are not having to wait over a
year before action is taken and decisions are made?
Reply from Councillor Alexander, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities, Public Health & Adult Social Care
5. Question from Jerome Cox-Strong:
Cardiac arrest statistics are terrifyingly clear. For every
minute that passes without access to a defibrillator,
someone’s chances of surviving decreases by 10%. It’s
because of this simple, life-saving maths that the nearest
accessible defibrillator should never be more than 200m
away.
Yet the reality in our city is stark. My area, Hanover
& Elm Grove, remains a defibrillator desert - for those in
deprived areas like Pankhurst, the nearest defibrillator might be
as much as 20 minutes away. This is inequality extending brutally,
literally, into a matter of life and death.
I’m campaigning locally to secure charitable funding
for new defibrillators for Hanover & Elm Grove that could save
lives. But this is a citywide emergency that will continue without
citywide, statutory intervention. Will the council commit to
undertaking a formal review of public defibrillator access across
the city, and to centrally funding new defibrillators in areas like
mine?
Reply from Councillor Alexander, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities, Public Health & Adult Social Care
6. Question from Tom Sargant:
Has Brighton and Hove City Council located the original plans for the gardens of Adelaide Crescent and Palmeira Square by the great Sussex-born horticulturalist Henry Phillips?
Reply from Councillor Robins, Cabinet Member for Sports, Recreation & Libraries
7. Question from Elroy F:
Will the Council publish recent passenger-usage data, boarding figures, and cost-per-passenger for the 3X bus service at the bus stops on the east end of Nevill Avenue, and explain how this evidence justifies maintaining the current routing and level of service—given that buses are frequently empty and usage appears minimal—and also set out when residents will be formally engaged in reviewing whether the 3X route and stop locations on Nevill Avenue remain appropriate, including whether options such as reduced frequency, rerouting, or consolidating stops will be considered as part of that evidence-based review?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport & City Infrastructure
8. Question from Emma Andrews:
Given that the new leisure centre is proposed to open on the west of the site with its main entrance and plaza directly facing an area scheduled for demolition and multi-year housing construction, what assessment has been made of the combined impact of this overlapping construction period on the centre’s early operation — including noise, dust, air quality, construction traffic, access restrictions, the functioning of the entrance plaza and public realm opposite an active construction zone, and any risks to the building fabric and internal systems such as HVAC air intake drawing in demolition or construction dust or abrasive effects on glazing and external surfaces — and will this full assessment be completed and published before the planning submission?
Reply from Councillor Robins, Cabinet Member for Sports, Recreation & Libraries
9. Question from Sheila Rimmer/Lynora Knott:
It has been reported that the number of homeless households
in the city has been increasing despite continued progress
increasing the supply of council homes. Previously when the supply
of additional council homes was increasing under the old
allocations policy the number of households having to live in
temporary accommodation or sleep rough was
falling.
Given that the increasing cost of homeless accommodation is
putting a huge strain on the council’s it is important to
know how well the new allocations policy is working in terms of
reducing the number of homeless households
Since the new allocations policy was brought in what
percentage of home allocations went to homeless
households?
Reply from Councillor Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing
10. Question from Ian Needham/David Gibson:
When the government supports more affordable rents on new build the rents the rents are either “affordable” or the new definition of “social” both these rent levels are a lot higher than the old “social target rents” paid by current tenants. So, in demolishing rather than refurbishing 560 homes at low council rents will eventually be replaced at some distant time by homes that are less affordable higher rent homes. However, tenants of the LPS blocks that the council has decided to demolish were promised a “like for like” right to return when the homes are eventually replaced. Is the council guaranteeing “like for like” council target social rents for all existing tenants?
Reply from Councillor Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing
11. Question from Adrian Hill:
The latest data shows that vehicle emissions standard adherence is low on main roads in poorer areas such as Lewes Road. This means that many of the vehicles are of the highly polluting diesel type. However, Labour's manifesto promised to end polluting diesel vehicles in the city. With some of the worst pollution in the country it is clear not enough has been done to tackle toxic air pollution on Lewes Road. Waiting and doing nothing has caused and worsened illness for thousands in the city. Will you please finally agree that a clean air zone is urgently required?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport & City Infrastructure
12. Question from Nigel Furness:
In the run-up to Christmas, which should be the
traders’ busiest period, this city is currently at a virtual
standstill as a result of an epidemic of roadworks from East to
West and North to South without any visible sign of a coordinated
approach in place.
Have you, as Cabinet Lead for Transport, Councillor
Muten, made any attempts to mitigate this crisis or are you deaf to
our pleas?
Reply from Councillor Muten, Cabinet Member for Transport & City Infrastructure
13. Question from Diane Montgomery:
At the full council meeting on the 10th July in response to
a supplementary question following changes to how affordable shared
ownership is and to what extent it benefits local
people, Councillor Williams said she would
provide:
1) Information on the number of shared ownership homes
provided in the last 10 years and the percentage of these homes
that were provided for households living in the Brighton and Hove
area
2) Evidence on the extent to which shared ownership
has reduced housing waiting lists
3) The latest NPPF that gives councils more
flexibility to reduce the shared ownership as a percentage of the
affordable quota, referred to as policy
Reply from Councillor Williams, Cabinet Member for Housing