Agenda item - Public Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by members of the public:

 

(a)          Petitions:  

To receive any petitions presented by members of the public.

 

(b)          Written Questions:

To receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 17 January 2025

 

(c)          Deputations:              

To receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 10am on the 17 January 2025

(a)          Petitions

 

1)            Install Adequate Lighting in Tarner Park

 

128.1   The petition was withdrawn.

 

(b)          Public Questions

 

1)            Preventing and tackling violence against women and girls, domestic abuse, and sexual violence – Brighton & Hove City Council’s strategy 2025-2028

 

128.2   Clare B Dimyon read the following question:

 

When "Violence Against Women and Girls" (female) is recognised by international treaties* (UN 1993, Council of Europe - Istanbul 2013 & Dublin 2022) to be a phenomenon of specifically male violence, as is reflected in UK and other government data globally, across two decades, and in the context of 97-98% opposite-sex [50] orientation (ONS Census 2021), upon what evidence does Brighton & Hove City Council (agents and officers), rely in terms of liability, for the hypothesis that the sexual offending of transgender & nonbinary males (transwomen), is, as low or lower than that of the female population (not excluding transmen).

 

128.3   Councillor Daniel provided the following reply:

 

To be clear, the strategy addresses all violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and sexual violence, regardless of the sex or gender of either the perpetrator or victim. It serves all affected by these crimes. I understand in the development of this strategy, the Council has not stated nor referred to this hypothesis.

 

2)            Preventing and tackling violence against women and girls, domestic abuse, and sexual violence – Brighton & Hove City Council’s strategy 2025-2028

 

128.4   Allison Hooper read the following question:

 

Over 500 women have so far signed an Open Letter on sexual violence support for women in B&H and surrounding areas. The letter raised serious concerns about the withdrawal or absence of female-only services for survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse. Can the council confirm to me today that its VAWG Strategy will be amended to ensure female-only services are reinstated as soon as possible and made available to any female survivor who needs them?

 

128.5   Councillor Daniel provided the following reply:

 

So, this strategy outlines our strategic aims to prevent and tackle for domestic abuse and sexual violence. The commissioning of services occurs in line with the commissioning cycle, so different dates. The Council currently jointly commissions its main contract for domestic and sexual violence services on a pan-Sussex basis. Going forward, consultations for future commissioning will be undertaken to inform those future commissioning decisions. We will take into account any barriers raised by any cohort of victims and survivors and endeavour to address them, but I have to be clear that the Council has not changed its commissioning policy in relation to the current services on gender and sex in terms of access to the services in the city, nor has it withdrawn or changed female only services on a sex basis. The service criteria did not change in the last commissioning round and the policies of providers remains the same as it did under previous contracts and providers.

 

3)            Trans Inclusion Schools Toolkit Version 5

 

128.6   Adrian Hart read the following question:

 

How will the Toolkit V5 prevent the classroom to clinic pipeline that has developed across the city (something highlighted in the recent High Court case launched by a Brighton parent against the NHS and which began with a child being socially transitioned in a local secondary school)?  I’m sure Cabinet will want to reassure parents that the activist organisation Allsorts Youth Project will cease its activities inside schools in facilitating this pipeline.

 

128.7   Councillor Daniel provided the following reply:

 

The toolkit makes it clear that it's not for schools to make decisions about medical treatment. The case you referred to involves the NHS and does not appear to have been determined yet, and as the Council is not a party to it, I cannot comment on it.

 

4)            Preventing and tackling violence against women and girls, domestic abuse, and sexual violence – Brighton & Hove City Council’s strategy 2025-2028

 

128.8   Naomi Bos read the following question:

 

In 2021, Rise Up! submitted a petition with over 30,000 signatures to the Council, highlighting public distress at Brighton’s home grown specialist domestic abuse charity being decommissioned and services handed over to national generic providers.  Subsequently we worked with a cross-party working group to address these failures. However, our requests to be included in the ‘lived-experience’ board and the City’s VAWG Forum have gone unanswered. We seek assurance that there will be a transparent process allowing stakeholder organisations to apply for membership of the new Oversight Board, rather than being privately selected. Will this Board have room for the input of engaged and established volunteer-run survivors’ groups and the victim-survivors that they represent and will we be invited?

 

128.9   Councillor Daniel provided the following reply:

 

The membership of the Oversight Board will be composed of key partners from the voluntary and community sector as well as the statutory sector.

In terms of the Oversight Board, the Board will develop the work around survivor involvement. My main initial priority is to be satisfied that the survivor voice includes a broad demographic, for example disabled survivors, older survivors and care experienced survivors

 

5)            Preventing and tackling violence against women and girls, domestic abuse, and sexual violence – Brighton & Hove City Council’s strategy 2025-2028

 

128.10 Gail Grey read the following question:

 

The Pan Sussex Domestic Abuse accommodation and support strategy identified a shortfall of 14 Refuge spaces for women and children. How does the Council intend to fill this gap in provision?

 

128.11 Councillor Daniel provided the following reply:

 

In 2021, Brighton and Hove City Council commissioned Stonewater to carry out research on the housing options for survivors of domestic abuse locally. Stonewater in partnership with the Council developed the Savehaven by the Sea Report.   As a result of that process, several recommendations were identified, and those recommendations are contained within the Strategy. The Council will continue to work in partnership to deliver on those recommendations.

We've already worked in partnership to develop safe house provision with Stonewater, which has provided an additional 5 units of accommodation.  We continue to work to identify and expand the level of safe housing for those affected in the city

 

6)           Park & Ride

 

128.12 James Taylor read the following question:

 

One of the stated aims of the park and ride scheme is to reduce city centre congestion. Clearly this can only be achieved if drivers choose to use the park and ride scheme, instead of driving to the city centre car parks, but there is no mention of the trial park and ride spaces replacing existing city centre parking spaces. Combine this with the recent reduction in city centre parking charges and there is no incentive for drivers to choose the slightly less convenient park and ride option. If the trial scheme is unpopular for the reasons stated, how will this be considered when making a decision on a permanent scheme?

 

128.13 Councillor Muten provided the following reply:

 

Thank you, James, for your question. The provision of park and ride in the city is necessary to offer travel choices for those coming to our city. Currently, those who need to drive to our city centre have limited choice, leading many visitors to drive right into our city centre to park, providing park and ride offers a genuine choice alongside a range of other modes of transport.

There may be a range of reasons people need to drive to city centre and we are working on the details of park and ride to offer incentives to do so.

We're currently not looking at a one in one out approach as this would not be beneficial for our city in relation to our visitor economy and growth agenda and really vibrancy of our city.

The do nothing approach as previous administrations effectively chose to implement is also proved not beneficial. There has been a net loss of approximately 500 spaces in the city centre parking spaces over recent years for a range of reasons, including the closure of Carlton Hill and Oxford Court car parks and the loss of parking to install the Madeira drive cycle lanes and no park and ride offer to offset this number.

We do need a park and ride that works well for our city, helps reduce congestion and improve air quality. A park and ride offer could incentivise car sharing.

Bike hire hubs will provide visitors an active travel option. The price points we offer will be an important factor that for its successful details of park and ride. Park and ride will be presented at a future at a future cabinet meeting.

 

7)           Trans Toolkit Version 5

 

128.14 On behalf of a resident, Councillor Goldsmith read the following question:

 

Having been through a rigorous consultation process, and having accepted the importance of the trans inclusion toolkit as vital guidance for schools and to support inclusion for all our CYP, what are the Council’s plans to ensure schools are informed about and trained in utilising this guidance for the benefit of all their pupils?

 

128.15 Councillor Daniel provided the following reply:

 

If approved today, we will promote the toolkit with all of our schools through a number of channels, including head teacher meetings, a weekly bulletin, our PSHE networks and the PSHE newsletter. We will also communicate with governors via our school governors team to raise awareness and where schools have questions about specific issues, officers can provide further support and advice as required on a case by case basis.