Cabinet Agenda Item 42 (b)
Subject: Public Questions
Date of meeting: Thursday, 17 September 2026
A period of not more than thirty minutes shall be allowed at each ordinary meeting for questions submitted by a member of the public.
The following written questions have been received from members of the public:
1. Kim Leyland-Walker: Item 57 - Update Report on Western Road Resurfacing Works and Red Route
I note from the papers that the justification for the red route is to improve bus times and reliability. At a recent community meeting Cllr Trevor Mutten advised that it was a policy decision made to route all the buses via Western road with other traffic using the seafront. One could argue there that it is the Councils policy decision that has the greatest impact on bus services along this road.
The seafront road is woeful under served with public transport, indeed the section parallel to the proposed route having no service at all. There are also areas parallel to the north that could be better served with more even distribution.
Was this considered as an option prior to deciding that the Red Route was the best option, if not why? Surely all alternative options should be given consideration before such a damaging decision, like the red route, is taken.
2. Adrian Mills: Item 54 - Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO) Permission to Renew, Extend and Adopt
The proposal on PSPOs to June 2026 cabinet notes under financial implications that "any potential additional costs resulting from subsequent implementation, will be considered and reported as part of any future decision making report." Item 54 to September cabinet recommending approving renewal, extension or adoption of new PSPOs states "No financial implications in delivering the recommendations of this report."
Will there be any costs resulting from implementation of extended and new PSPOs, such as legally required new signage, or resources for enforcement and, if so, why are these additional costs not covered in a report to cabinet which clearly appears to be decision-making?
3. Catherine Lane: Item 57 - Update Report on Western Road Resurfacing Works and Red Route
The Council's press release states that daytime bus journey times between Hove and Churchill Square are 16.7% longer than in 2015, yet that figure does not appear in the Cabinet report, which at paragraph 3.16 gives improved bus journey times as the order's sole purpose. What reduction in that journey time, in minutes and seconds per bus and measured against a stated baseline, will the Council use to judge whether the experiment has succeeded, and failing to achieve it would lead to the Red Route being removed?
4. Marie Dhont: Item 57 - Update Report on Western Road Resurfacing Works and Red Route
How can Cabinet properly assess whether the proposed ETRO is necessary, proportionate and capable of meaningful evaluation without clear pre-reconstruction baseline data for Western Road on bus journey times, reliability, traffic flow and congestion, evidence that current delays are caused by obstructive parking rather than the condition of the carriageway, and a clear methodology for distinguishing any improvements resulting from the forthcoming major reconstruction from those attributable to the Red Route?
5. Lawrence: Item 57 - Update Report on Western Road Resurfacing Works and Red Route
At an initial LAT meeting, Councillor Muten confirmed "no red route" was a possible outcome of the Western Road consultation. Yet, the consultation failed to ask the 1000 respondents if they actually supported the scheme, subsequently using opaque metrics to claim community backing.
But given a 4,000-signature petition, a highly participated legal action fundraising, and extensive public protests, will the council now accept it lacks community support for the proposal and needs to consider less damaging alternatives such as the widely-supported proposal of enhanced double-yellow kerb markings to address the area's traffic concerns?
6. James Taylor: Item 57 - Update Report on Western Road Resurfacing Works and Red Route
Illegal parking on Western Road is a problem at all times of the day and along the entire length of the road, from Holland Road to Montpelier Road. This causes delays for bus users, drivers and cyclists using the road and is extremely dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Given that cameras cannot legally be used to enforce the existing double yellow lines, then short of employing a small army of traffic wardens to cover the entire length of the road for most of the day, every day, at great expense to the public, is there any realistic alternative to installing a red route, which would allow the road to be kept clear of obstructions to buses and safe for pedestrians and cyclists?
7. Kevin Thomas: Item 51 - Hackney Carriage Fare Review
The GMB supports the proposed Tariff revisions and requests it is supported. This will be the first tariff revision since March 2024.
You may recall I made a submission to the Full Council in December 2025 which I highlighted the pressures facing drivers who provide a vital service in the city. During the course of the meeting with the then Chair of Licensing I advised our members are seeking an agreed annual review process to replace the current somewhat chaotic ad hoc approach. Unfortunately, despite requests we have not been able to have any further meetings to progress this.
I seek your confirmation of a meeting between GMB and Licensing to discuss this. Also a meeting with Transport, with whom we have only met once, to progress the other outstanding issues raised in December 2025. These meetings to take place within four weeks.
8. Theressa Ross: Item 52 - Encampments
For six years, residents have repeatedly asked the council to introduce measures to stop overnight camping at the free council-owned car park on the A259 at Roedean. The site has grown and has also resulted in multiple vans parking for extended periods on Roedean Way, Crescent and Vale, including 7.25-tonne lorries converted as dwellings which occupy significant areas of the highway and are often parked on pavements, causing damage.
There are currently 19 lived-in vehicles in the car park, reducing parking availability for visitors and residents. There is evidence of fouling, fly-tipping and abandoned vehicles. The site lies directly on the route to the Girls’ School, causing concern for students, parents and residents. While the welfare needs of those living there are acknowledged, the growth of the site is creating significant local issues.
What action will the Council take to address the continued growth and impact of this encampment?
9. Laura King: Item 57 - Western Road resurfacing works and red route
Can Western Road traders expect a significant reduction in Business Rates to recompense them for the major loss of trade in the pre-Christmas period and beyond - if the Red Route is implemented - following five and a half weeks of hard road closure on 28th September from Waitrose to The Wick Inn?