Agenda item - Chair's Communications

186.1   The Chair provided the following Communications:

“Today we are discussing filling our potholes, resurfacing our roads, maximising our assets so we can fund better services for residents and get more homes built in our beacon city. We are discussing a transfer of our learning disability service to maintain standards and drive efficiencies. And we’re discussing building bigger beaches – Councillor Muten is not just the councillor that never sleeps he is now going to fashion himself as King Canute, hold back our tides, protect our coast and ensure residents have more beach to enjoy in the years to come.

Today we’re looking to approve the Capital Asset Strategy that will guide how council assets are managed to support investment in housing, sustainability and improved services.

The council owns a significant amount of land and property including buildings for services, commercial properties, agricultural land, and seafront assets. The management and continual review of these assets enables service delivery, supports our council plan and is how we balance the budget.

Looking carefully at how we use our assets is an integral part of the budget process, particularly at this challenging financial time.

In developing the strategy our property portfolios have been reviewed and analysed to identify opportunities for changes including development or rationalisation that will help us deliver the efficiencies we need to balance the budget, maintain services, improve performance and invest in projects like Madeira Terrace, King Alfred, Valley Gardens and improvements to our roads.

What we’re also deciding today details how more than £8 million will be invested to improve Brighton & Hove’s roads, pavements and transport infrastructure as part of Our Local Transport Plan. Plans include tackling potholes, improving safety and supporting sustainable travel.

Many years of woeful Tory underinvestment has led to a huge backlog in repairs and unacceptable conditions of our road surfaces.  This plan will see us prioritise the areas most in need of improvement over the next 12 months, as well as investing in the future. It includes a welcome increase of up to £1.6million grant funding by our Labour Government for road maintenance.

We’re going to discuss and decide on the next phase of the sea defences scheme in Hove and Southwick, the biggest in the area.

As a seaside city, the scheme is vital to safeguard homes and businesses from coastal flooding and protect our local economy for decades to come. By taking action now, we will help make our city more climate resilient and able to adapt to increasing storms, extreme rainfall and rising sea levels.

Cabinet are also deciding whether to transfer 4 council-run learning disability services to expert external providers. This is intended to maintain the quality of services provided and support independence for some of our most vulnerable residents, while delivering better value.

Thank you to all residents and businesses that responded to the Government’s devolution consultation which closed earlier this. We submitted our response along with our interim submission on LGR. Had a positive meeting with LG Minister Jim MacMahon in Crawley along with leaders of ESCC & WSCC to discuss collaborative work on transition to devo should Government decide to proceed.

Welcomed several Labour Government ministers to the City to see the progress we are making on childrens services, to support veterans and in sport.

Following agreement at cabinet last October our updated Housing Allocations Policy comes into effect this week. It will provide a fairer framework so available council homes go to the people who need them most..

From 6 May, the council’s Customer Service Centres will move from Bartholomew House and Hove Town Hall to new help desks at Jubilee Library and Hove Library. Dedicated staff will be on hand to help residents with queries, including applying for a bus pass, renewing a blue badge and getting information about how to pay their council tax. You’ll also be access self-help facilities such as computers and phones. In-person support will also be available at family hubs in Whitehawk, Moulsecoomb, Hangleton and Tarner.

We’re reducing the cost of even more bus fares around the city. In addition to continuing to support £1 short-hop bus travel until the end of the year, from this Monday the price a of a medium length journey will drop from £2.80 to £2.50. This will make it cheaper for residents to travel by bus to work or university, visit friends and relatives, get to the shops or access key services like GP surgeries and local hospitals.

Our Labour Government has awarded us funding to replace high-emission diesel buses with low-emission electric vehicles. In partnership with the council, Brighton & Hove Buses will introduce a further 13 electric buses in autumn 2026 on routes 5 and 6, in addition to the 16 already planned for route 7 spring 2026. This will help cut emissions and improve air quality on routes in some of the city’s highest emission areas.

And starting from 5 May an exciting week of events is in store across Brighton & Hove to commemorate the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Events include 1940s activities at the pier, talks at The Keep, live music at the Bandstand, a family day at Downs Junior School, and an evening service at the Peace statue and lighting of a beacon on 8 May.

I encourage everyone to honour those who served and sacrificed during the Second World War, and to reaffirm our shared commitment to a more peaceful world.

I encourage you all to keep an eye out on the roofs of bus shelters as you travel around the city. 

The council has helped facilitate an exhibition of iconic seaside images by photographers Martin Parr and JJ Waller which are being displayed on the roofs of bus shelters around the city as part of Brighton Festival

They’ll also be on display for everyone at Hove Museum, the Seafront Gallery and local poster sites. That’s also a good reminder for us all to get involved in events at this year’s Brighton Festival and Fringe throughout May which starts of course with the iconic childrens parade Saturday week – 3^rd May”.