Cabinet Agenda Item 6(a)
Subject: Member Questions
Date of meeting: 29 June 2026
A maximum period of fifteen minutes in total shall be made available at each meeting of the Executive for questions from Members of the Council.
The questions included on the list of questions referred to above shall be taken as read at the Cabinet meeting. The question will be answered either orally or at the discretion of the Chair by a written answer circulated after the meeting. Officers may assist the Leader or a Cabinet Member with technical answers to questions. No supplementary questions shall be permitted.
The following written questions have been received from Members:
1. Councillor Meadows - Development of a Community Cohesion Road Map for Brighton & Hove
In paragraph 3.26 council tenants do not seem to have been included in the consultation; however, many fear their estates at night. What are the specific plans to include them?
2. Councillor Meadows - Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO)
Why are rough sleepers and the homeless not included in these PSPOs? And why aren’t enforced encampments not included in any of the PSPO’s? Will having too many exemptions on all the proposed PSPOs make them irrelevant and unenforceable?
3. Councillor McNair - Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO)
Will these PSPOs actually mean vehicles and campers will be moved on immediately? Or, as we’ve seen in Carden Hill with campervans with court orders, will they in reality be allowed to remain because it is too much of a cost to the council for it to enact?
4. Councillor McNair - Carers Strategy, "Think Carer - building a Carer Friendly City"
What support is the council providing to older carers, that is those over 60, as the plan appears to be for working age and young carers only? Many of our carers are over 60+ caring for their partners and it is only when they end up in hospital exhausted and ill that the council step in to help.
5. Councillor Meadows- Improving Fire Safety in Council Homes
The report is a little confusing. Paragraph 5.1 mentions 18 blocks, but we have only been able to identify 17 blocks. Which block is missing?
6. Councillor Meadows- Improving Fire Safety in Council Homes
The council was fortunate to receive pre-tender funding in addition to cost of works. If CSS fails to provide sufficient funds, what is the council’s financial back-up plan? How much would it entail?
7. Councillor Meadows - Improving Fire Safety in Council Homes
How confident is the council that it will receive from Homes England CSS sufficient funding to mitigate the cost of works on all 18 blocks?
8. Councillor Meadows - Targeted Budget Management (TBM) Provisional Outturn 2025/26
How can we make informed comment on the budget on behalf of our residents when the information is either not ready or not shared with us?
9. Councillor Sykes - Improving Fire Safety in Council Homes
Three of the eight blocks earmarked for pre-tender financial support are Higher Risk Buildings due to their height and thereby require remediation plans to be considered by the Building Safety Regulator /HSE rather than local Building Control. The BSR continues to be under-resourced with applications taking up to a year to be considered rather than the 8 weeks set out in the regulations. This is not reflected in the paper. How would such delays affect programme and funding?
10. Councillor Pickett - Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO)
Whilst I pleased to see that the dog access related PSPOs are being assessed for areas such as Blakers Park, and the velodrome in Preston Park, I would like to ask if the Rose Garden in Preston Park could also be added. Additionally, I would like to ask if the PSPOs related to ASB in parts of the city are really the answer to the problems of drug-taking, drunkenness, and crime related to these issues. Don't PSPOs merely move the problem on without resolving the cause?
11. Councillor Hill - Carers Strategy, "Think Carer - building a Carer Friendly City"
One of the themes in this document is around improving and increasing access to respite provision, with 37.5% of carers surveyed currently accessing no respite support. The proposal to close Wellington House Day Centre would seem to reduce access to respite in my view and moreover is the view of those protesting the proposals today. How will the administration seek to improve access to respite despite the financial pressures on ASC budgets?
12. Councillor Hill - Carers Strategy, "Think Carer - building a Carer Friendly City"
The Kings Fund graphic shows that there is a wide gap between the total proportion of people caring for a mother or mother-in-law at 34% versus those caring for a father or father-in-law at 16%. Would you agree with me that this could suggest that there is a greater degree of unmet care needs amongst father or father-in-laws? I appreciate people who are fathers may also receive care from people who aren’t children but such a wide gap between mothers and fathers seems significant.
13. Councillor Hill - Carers Strategy, "Think Carer - building a Carer Friendly City"
Only 40 people were surveyed in the Carer Friendly City Survey Results compared with 87 responses in 2023. Why did so few people take part in the survey this time and what can be done to improve this in future?
14. Councillor Lademacher - Improving Fire Safety in Council Homes
Will there be any consideration whilst appointing the specialist project team under the Homes England Cladding Safety Scheme of how the Council will ensure that residents in the affected blocks, particularly those who are elderly or disabled, receive communications in accessible format and have adequate support to understand what the works mean for them?
15. Councillor Lademacher - Development of a Community Cohesion Road Map for Brighton & Hove
Will there be any consideration during the community engagement phase of how the Council will ensure that communities most affected by cohesion pressures, particularly those facing language barriers or digital exclusion, are genuinely reached rather than the process defaulting to more easily accessible groups?
16. Councillor Shanks – Future of Roundabout Nursery
How will the quality of provision be monitored once the service has been contracted out?
17. Councillor West – Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO)
How will the new and extended PSPOs be effectively communicated to the public, in particular to the occasional visitors who will need to appreciate the expectation this places upon their choices for Overnight Recreational Stay?
18. Councillor West – Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO)
Provision in the city for those seeking to formally camp in tents, caravans and camping cars is woefully inadequate. This under provision will no doubt bear some responsibility for the unofficial camping the proposed PSPOs are aiming to address. Will the administration be seeking establishment of more licensed camping, caravan and camping car pitches to support the city’s visitor economy and reduce the pressure on parks and open spaces?
19. Councillor McLeay – Improving Fire Safety in Council Homes
Given the report highlights both urgency and constrained capacity, what evidence or benchmarking gives you confidence that the current delivery timelines are genuinely achievable, particularly in the context of sector wide delays in fire safety remediation, and what contingency plans are in place if they slip?
20. Councillor McLeay – Improving Fire Safety in Council Homes
The report notes that Homes England funding is allocated on a block-by-block basis and cannot be redirected. While I fully support the council doing all it can to ensure the safety of residents in our social housing, given that St James House is expected to be demolished within the next 5–7 years, were Homes England made aware of these redevelopment plans prior to the funding being awarded, and how are we ensuring this represents good value for public money?
21. Councillor McLeay – Development of a Community Cohesion Road Map for Brighton & Hove
The report highlights increasing pressures from polarisation and tensions between communities. How will the Road Map ensure the council maintains a fair and balanced approach that supports all communities equally, and avoids the perception of favouring or responding disproportionately to the demands of any one group? 9 Community cohesion