Council Agenda Item 102(b)

Subject: Petition for Debate 

Date of meeting: 26 March 2026

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

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:

Petition to Save Our Service, SOS, the Wellbeing Hub

We, the undersigned, oppose the proposed cuts to the Wellbeing Hub at Preston Park — a vital mental health service that many people rely on to stay well and out of crisis.

The current plans will reduce the Hub from five days a week of structured support and activities to just six hours a week, with no group programme. For people with moderate to severe mental health challenges, this is not a minor change — it is the loss of a lifeline.

Run by the not-for-profit Southdown under UOK Brighton & Hove, the Wellbeing Hub provides consistent therapeutic support, community, and stability. While wider Sussex mental health services are being redesigned due to budget pressures, these cuts disproportionately and severely impact existing Hub clients. Proposed satellite services across Sussex cannot replace the depth of support or sense of safety the Hub provides.

There is no meaningful transition plan for current clients. Many report feeling devastated and unsafe, and fear their mental health will deteriorate — increasing reliance on already overstretched crisis services.

We call on Southdown, UOK Brighton & Hove, Brighton & Hove City Council, and NHS Sussex to:

· Reject the current proposals to drastically reduce the Wellbeing Hub’s services

· Fund safe and gradual transitions for existing clients

· Fully consult staff, clients, and people with lived experience for a genuinely co-produced approach

· Monitor and publish the impact on client wellbeing and crisis services

Preventative mental health support saves lives and reduces pressure on emergency services. These cuts must be halted.

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).