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 10^th October 2025.

(c)          Deputations:              

To receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 10am on the 6^th October 2025.

(b)      Public Questions

1)             Housing Supply and Asset Management plan

47.1      Pippa Burley read the following question:

“Is the Cabinet aware that 3/3a Bond Street Cottages is occupied by the Sussex County Arts Club, which is a not-for-profit organisation run by volunteers that has offered uniquely priced art sessions since 1944, from these same buildings, and can the Cabinet offer us assurances that any agreement they reach with a prospective purchaser will include suitable covenants, as is being offered to independent retailers, to preserve our institution and protect us from eviction or unsupportable rent increases”.

47.2      Councillor Taylor provided the following reply:

Thank you, Pippa, for coming today and thank you to other members of the Arts Club for also coming today, including one of my neighbours on my street that I've just noticed in the audience. It's a really important question. I want to answer it directly to everybody here.

The last thing that we want to let happen or will happen is risk the future of the Arts Club in this location. We have to be really clear. One of the reasons that Brighton & Hove is special, one of the reasons that I live here and bring up my kids here and indeed one of my parents moved here is the special nature of this city. It's creative sector and it's not-for-profit. So absolutely, we are now going to work with you. I would say that I think the Council probably haven't handled the communications well, so we want to apologise for that. You should have been given better notice. I think this could have avoided some of the upsetting concern that many of your members have about the future. What we will be doing as I've responded publicly and to you, Pippa, is that officers will now engage with you and work out how we can either extend your lease for a much longer time to give you security or work through a covenant or a transfer to ensure that you guys can stay there and continue offering that unique and amazing service and make up that unique character of the of that part of town. So, thank you for your question.

2)             E-scooter proposal for Brighton & Hove

47.3      Mark Strong read the following question:

“Cabinet is discussing an e-scooter hire trial in the city. As Community Works rep, I have received messages about this (both supportive and critical), including safety concerns. There are clearly many detailed issues to be discussed, which will require a full engagement process. However, this appears to be focused on the council seeking feedback from key stakeholders (including TTP members and major employers) rather than a more collaborative approach. There is no reference to discussions with CVS groups which represent localities or communities of interest. Consultation with the wider public is only proposed after the submission of an application for a trial. This refers to “residents, businesses, and visitors” with no mention of community groups. I would like to ask whether an explicit commitment can be included to working directly with community groups at both stages of the process, e.g. a meeting with groups as part of the first stage.

47.4      Councillor Muten provided the following reply:

Thank you, Mark, for your question and as the Community Works rep, highlighting the importance of safety for all in our new micro-mobility proposal. 

Safety and due care and attention is central to our proposal. This is why will not proceed with any trial until we undertaken a public consultation and engaged with community groups including representatives from the disability advocacy groups as well as our partners on the Transport and Travel Partnership – in which you attend representing Community Works. May I stress therefore there will be many opportunities to feedback into the design and detail of the proposed scheme.

The paper coming to today’s Cabinet meeting is to ask whether to proceed with an application to the central government for a licence to trial e-scooters within careful boundaries set out to protect the rider and the wider public; especially the more vulnerable in our communities. Having permission to proceed does not necessarily mean we will proceed. It means we can proceed. Over the course of the coming months, we will engage and we will listen.

Subject to approval today, the application to the Department for Transport will be submitted and public consultation will commence. Importantly, the DfT has confirmed that there is no obligation to proceed with the trial even if our application is approved as the final decision will rest with Cabinet and will be informed by the outcomes of wider public engagement.