Agenda item - To receive petitions and e-petitions

To receive any petitions to be presented to the Mayor by members of the public and/or Members as notified by the due date of 29 September 2025 (10 working days) which will be circulated separately as part of an addendum for the meeting.

35.1    The mayor stated that he had been notified of four ordinary petitions to be presented

today. She advised that petitioners had up to three minutes to outline the petition and to

confirm the number of signatories and that the petition would then be responded to by the relevant Cabinet Member:

35.2    Andrew Ridgway-Brown, on behalf of Matthew Blaize-Smith, presented a petition titled 'Request to Implement Controlled Parking Zone: Elms Lea Avenue, Brighton, BN1 6UG’

35.3    Councillor Muten replied:

Thank you, Andrew, for bringing this petition to council today and thanks to the 24 residents who signed this petition calling for enforceable parking restrictions on Elms Lea Avenue. 

I'm sorry to hear of the of the parking issues you describe and I'm keen to help. I agree it does make sense at this location to look at this. The Parking Scheme Priority Timetable was agreed earlier this year and part of this includes a review of zone K in the Preston Village area, which will include consultation on the wider area, including Elms Lea Avenue. 

This year the focus has been on consultations within Hollingdean, with consultations now completed soon to be implemented, and the Nevill Road area of Hove, soon to be taken forward with ward councillors and residents, where there is significant high demand for parking causing issues for residents.

The timetable will be reviewed following these consultations to ensure your area and your street is prioritised in the near future. Prior to any consultations starting, officers will contact ward councillors to discuss the options available, including that presented by your petition. Thank you.

35.4    Joao Pagano presented a petition titled ‘Support Brighton Buskers: Designated                Spaces, Amplification and Shelter’

35.5    Councillor Miller replied:

Thank you for your petition and the support you’re demonstrating for buskers in our city. As an administration, we agree with the sentiment that the council should support the cultural and social value of street performance. Street performance enriches public spaces by fostering inclusivity, accessibility and cultural vibrancy, offering a free and democratic platform for artists to develop their craft and audiences, and engage live art regardless of background or ability.

Supporting buskers in Brighton & Hove strengthens the city's cultural brand, encourages economic activity and builds a stronger emotional connection between people and place. However, our approach needs to balance with the need to monitor noise and amplification of noise. These considerations are assessed under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, as extended by the Noise and Statutory Nuisance Act of 1993. 

Local businesses near the upside-down house have reported disruption due to prolonged and loud performances. Concerns include difficulty communicating with customers, reduced dwell time and negative impacts on the trading environment. While many traders support street performance in principle, they have requested clearer enforcement of existing rules to maintain a balance between cultural activity and commercial viability. 

Brighton & Hove City Council operates a voluntary code of conduct for buskers. This includes no use of amplifiers or drums, one hour performance limits per location, avoiding obstruction of public highways and performing only between 10am and 10pm. Whilst not legally binding, performers are expected to follow this guidance to avoid causing disturbance. 

The upside-down house area is acoustically sensitive and adjacent to both residential flats and commercial units. Signage prohibiting amplification and percussion was installed following repeated complaints and enforcement challenges. No license is required to busk, but buskers are expected to play at a reasonable volume and avoid using amplifiers unless specifically permitted.

While the Council supports the cultural and social value of street performance, we also need to consider this along with the interests of residents and businesses. The current voluntary code of conduct, supported by local bylaws and national legislation, remains the most appropriate framework for managing busking activity in Brighton & Hove. In response to this petition, I have asked the team to further review the situation and respond in more detail to the point. 

35.6    Caroline Ellis presented a petition titled ‘Petition Objecting to the Proposed Closure of Rottingdean Library’

 35.7   Councillor Robins replied:

Thank you for bringing the petition. We understand the impact that losing a library can have on any community. Unfortunately, as a council we had to make some tough decisions last year when setting the budget. One of these was to reduce the library revenue budget. We have analysed the data on how libraries are used, the needs of the communities, and the geographic spread of libraries in each area. Taking a citywide approach, the proposal maintains a statutory library service, with access to books, spaces, wi-fi and computers still available in ten libraries across the city, supporting the most vulnerable members of the communities.

Three libraries were identified for potential closure, alongside a reduction in evening and weekend hours at Jubilee and Hove Library. We are aware that each library, including Rottingdean, are used by families and children and are valued as community hubs. A 12-week consultation closed on Friday, October 10th, last Friday, and the feedback gathered through the survey and the public meetings will now support the cabinet making the final decision to in regard to the library savings on Thursday the 12th of December. Your petition will be noted and added to this feedback. Thank you again.

35.8.   Joe Gill and Tanuska Marah presented a petition titled ‘Bring Southern Water into Public Ownership’

35.9    Councillor Rowkins replied:

Thank you for coming today to present your petition. I mean, I agree with a great deal of what you just said. Privatisation of the water industry by the Thatcher government has been a disaster and it was, in my view, a bad idea in principle and in practice has been even worse. Decades of underinvestment, vast amounts of money funnelled into private hands, scandalous dumping of sewage into our rivers and seas, and now bills rising for residents. It is my firm belief that, in principle, water does indeed belong in public hands.

However, the question of re nationalizing the water companies now in 2025, is sadly not so simple. DEFRA have estimated that the cost of acquiring the water companies is very high and I do accept that there's a range of views on what that cost might be and, of course, once you have it if you do acquire it, there is probably some substantial costs in terms of investing and addressing the historic underinvestment that's existed for so long. 

Business as usual, though clearly is not an option and the government has taken a range of measures to crack down on the water companies. The Water Special Measures Bill introduced In July 2024, almost immediately after the election requires money to be ring fenced for infrastructure investments, which of course is much needed, as well as greater accountability to customers. More recently, the government announced that the regulator which you reference in your petition, Ofwat, which let's face it, has been part of the problem all along, will be abolished and replaced with a single more powerful entity that also takes in functions from the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Drinking Water Inspectorate and so on and it's been described as the biggest shake up of the water industry since privatisation and comes with a government commitment to cut pollution in half by 2030. 

I personally and we collectively will continue to push for further reforms to the water industry so that it operates not in the interest of profit, but of the people and the planet and I hope that we one day indeed do see water back where it belongs: in public hands.