Agenda item - Chair's Communications

15.1      The Chair provided the following Communications:

“I'm absolutely delighted to announce hot off the press that the government has confirmed that Brighton & Hove and Sussex is on the government's devolution priority program. The responses to the consultation have been assessed by government and we have met their statute test. So, we will be proceeding to receive devolved powers from central government to our region by next May when a new strategic authority will be established. Once all the councils have given consent, a new mayor for Sussex and Brighton will be elected and funding will be transferred from central government to that new regional authority to start the work of improving our connectivity, investing in our communities, aligning affordable housing with future jobs, and generally improving things for people right across our city and our wider region.

So really pleased to be able to announce that your Labor council is restless for progress and change. We don't duck the difficult issues. In fact, we like to run towards them and find a way through for our communities.

We've got a really busy agenda today which demonstrates the level of ambition and commitment we have to this very fine city of ours. I would also say this that we are always committed to listening to our residents in our communities and I'm pleased to see we've got some public engagement today. As I say, we're in the business of listening, trying to understand, and then trying to work a way through that gets the best possible outcome for our residents, for our communities, and our businesses.

Since this cabinet last met, the news is out that IKEA will be opening at our Churchill Square Shopping Mall next month on the 14th of August. I want to welcome and thank IKEA for choosing Brighton for its only third city shop in the country. It's another vote of confidence in our amazing city. It will bring jobs, visitors, and all sorts of classic home interiors.

I can't wait to see the impact that it will have on our already thriving high streets in the city. Indeed, the Centre for Cities has recently published a report which put Brighton and Hove 58 out of 63 for high street occupancy of the key cities in the country.

The Council Plan Refresh comes at the halfway point for our Labour Administration. It's needed because we've already ticked off many of our manifesto commitments from expanding plastics recycling to supporting residents with the cost of living. And because so much has changed, we now have a Labor government aligned to our goals in the city. We now have devolution on the way. And because we've also now learned much more about what we have inherited at the council, including the judgment by the social housing regulator and the very important issue of LPS blocks which we'll be discussing in detail today. We decided to refresh our Council Plan and make sure that we are all facing in the right direction in the same direction for the remaining two years of our term. I believe that we are in the business of a new era of regeneration in our city. From IKEA to another item on today's agenda, the Seafront Development Board to today's confirmation that we're in the government's devolution priority program. I think this shows that with ambition and the right approach, there is so much we can do to build a better Brighton and Hove for all. Just look at the accomplishments and the stature of the Board that we'll be discussing today that we've attracted to come and support us in acquiring greater investment for our seafront. Just look at how we've managed to develop an exciting case for a new publicly funded five lane 25m community swimming pool at Withdean and how quickly if we do decide to proceed today we will get to work in building it.

Crucially, and as we will discuss today, we want no community left behind as we rebuild our city's ambition from the bottom up. So, today we'll be discussing our housing strategy, and you'll hear how we're improving housing quality, making sure that homes are safe and vitally doing more to prevent homelessness. Everyone deserves a decent, safe, and affordable place to live. That is not a radical ambition. But after the wreckage that the last Tory government left us, it's currently only a vision and not a reality.

Cabinet are set to make crucial decisions today on whether or not to develop and consult on plans to demolish our eight large panel system buildings and replace them with new modern council homes. We recognize that these buildings have happy memories and we have explored every option to look at what can be done. I believe that our tenants deserve better than a short-term fix. Our tenants deserve the very best. And let me say this again that this council is intent on building as many affordable council homes as we can. We want to deliver more homes and we can't build or buy back council homes fast enough. As I said, we don't duck the difficult things that we face. Our Labor government has protected local government funding in the spending review, but the housing crisis and the broken model we've inherited means that demand for temporary accommodation and other services continues to outstrip our budget and our income.

We have important items on today's agenda concerning our finance reports. And we also have an item concerning a consultation on the future sustainability of our libraries. Later we will be discussing whether to consult on the closure of three community libraries and changing to the opening hours of Jubilee and Hove libraries. It's not something we want to do, but we need to do things in a different way. We don't want and believe any of these libraries need to close if we can find a creative way to work with communities to keep them going as community assets. I'm really pleased that we've already had positive responses from Rottingdean and we're keen to discuss community transfer. If we proceed with today's consultation, we'll be trying to start similar conversations for Westdene.

And finally, our Brighton Dome Corn Exchange restoration project continues to gain local and national acclaim. It's recently won a Sussex Heritage Trust award. The ambitious project saw buildings restored, improved, and upgraded, leading to a renowned role as a cultural landmark and helping to ensure the arts continue to flourish in Brighton and Hove. The project would not have been possible without vital funding from the council, Arts Council England, Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We've also received support from trust and foundations and many individual donors who all see the value of culture and arts in our city. The awards it has received are a fitting way to demonstrate what can be achieved through collaboration and a commitment to creativity. And in the last few weeks, we've shared some exciting improvement work across the city. From plans to restore and reopen the public toilets at Victoria Road Recreation Ground to the extra 1.6 million pounds we have this year to invest in our roads, pavements, and other highway assets. 35 roads covering 176,000 square meters have been included in our planned maintenance program for this financial year. And in the coming months, our teams will be fixing roads that have fallen into an unacceptable condition following years of Tory underinvestment. The double-sided green benches on Hove lawns, lovingly named by a seafront team as the cucumber benches, will be returned to their former glory in a new social value scheme. Our highways contractor RJ Dance is providing a team to carry out the repairs of the wooden structures while local building merchants and paint suppliers are providing the materials. Residents engaged with the community payback scheme will also help with the sanding and redecorating of the benches. This type of regular maintenance of our seafront is crucial to keep our seafront looking good and ensure it's a place that residents and visitors want to spend their time.

Like every year, we're very proud to support Trans Pride and we stand firmly beside our Trans and Bi residents and communities. Celebrations will take place across the city this Saturday. And with just a few weeks to go, Brighton and Hove Pride is now right around the corner and will be taking over the city on the 2nd and 3rd of August with a parade, a two-day music festival, and a revamped street party. I want to thank council teams who've been working closely with partners across the city making preparations to ensure that it is a safe and successful weekend. Both events are joining forces this year to create a two week festival of diversity, joy and unity between the events.”