Agenda item - Chair's Communications

161.1   The Chair provided the following Communications:

Since we last met as a Cabinet, we have continued to focus on what matters most in this city, delivering better outcomes for the people of Brighton and Hove, using our resources well, and working with partners to shape a stronger, fairer and more sustainable city. Just in the last month, among many other things, we've opened the Weller Youth Centre in Hangleton, we've opened the first covered paddle courts in the city, up at Withdean. We have launched our first EV double-decker bus fleet, along with our partners at Brighton and Hove Buses, with 16 new electric buses, electrifying the number 7 route. And we have reopened a refurbished public toilet at Victoria Park in Portslade.

We've been on site at the former Sackville Road Trading Estate, where thanks to past decisions of this Cabinet, we are delivering 306 affordable new homes, including council homes, one, two, three and four bed properties. And last week I had my leader surgery in beautiful Moulsecoomb & Bevendean with Ward Councillors Evans and Taylor,

meeting residents and having a look at our other big construction site currently, the building of Moulsecoomb Hub which is delivering hundreds more council and affordable homes as well as new community facilities. This month we have also established the Sussex and Brighton Mayoral Authority, a really historic milestone for our city, following in the footsteps of successful and growing cities like London, Manchester and Liverpool, giving us access to millions of pounds more of funding from central government, which will start straight away, and crucially putting power back into local hands. We've secured more than 9 million pounds of additional government funding to support council housing and temporary accommodation in the city, which is a really significant step for us in responding to housing pressures and improving things for our residents that need housing support. And we've settled 11 more residents into women's-only council-owned temporary accommodation, something that our Labour Council has spearheaded after listening to women's experiences.

Today we'll be discussing a new private sector housing enforcement policy to strengthen this council's ability to act against poor housing conditions in the city and rogue landlords preventing illegal evictions and ensuring that every resident in our city has a safe and decent place to live. We're proud of our Labour government's Renters Rights Act which is very soon to come into force. Nowhere in this country is that Act more important, where the proportion of people privately renting is one of the highest in Brighton & Hove anywhere in the UK and which has risen in the past 10 years. Housing remains one of our most pressing challenges and one of the priorities of this Labour Council, which is why today we are bringing forward the Temporary Accommodation Transformation programme report where we will consider making a decisive shift towards housing sustainability, reducing reliance on costly short-term provision and trying to improve outcomes for our residents who need secure long-term homes. I recognise that the use of 20% of council stock for temporary accommodation over the next year

will have an impact on households that are on our housing register, which is why we've listened carefully to the feedback from the consultation and sought to strike a fair balance to all those currently in an inadequate accommodation, and which is why the house building that I referred to earlier on is so urgent.

Taken together with our asset strategy, which we're also considering today, which sets out how we will manage the council's property portfolio in the months to come. We are supporting more housing delivery, ensuring that our assets are working harder for our residents and for our city's future.

Today, we'll also be discussing and deciding whether to move ahead with an e-scooter trial for Brighton and Hove, potentially another practical step towards cleaner, more accessible travel choices that support our climate goals while keeping safety and public confidence at the forefront of our decision making. This trial can ensure that we approach e-scooters in a sensible, regulated and managed way, while seeking to improve air quality across the city, reduce congestion and enable residents to move around more easily and more quickly. We are a forward-looking city and we must always look to embrace new modes of transport that meet our residents' objectives.

From sustainable transport to community wellbeing, also on the agenda is one of my favourite projects, the King Alfred Leisure Centre regeneration, which represents a major strategic opportunity for the west of the city, delivering public value through modern leisure facilities, improved health and wellbeing support and wider regeneration benefits. I couldn't be prouder of the pace we are now working at to deliver this project and in fact, the report that we're bringing today is evidence

that we are moving ahead of schedule because we know that under the years of no overall control, under the Green and Tory-led minority administrations, this project for King Alfred ran aground and got buried in the long grass. We won't be distracted in our mission to deliver a new leisure centre in the west of the city and we certainly won't be distracted by campaigns that twist the truth by political actors that don't rely on having high quality public leisure facilities available.

Reflecting on these five significant reports that we are now due to discuss, I will say this. No one can ever accuse this Labour Council that I lead of not taking action on the most pressing and urgent issues that our city faces.

We aim to move fast and fix things, improve lives and get better outcomes for our residents. Other parties moan and object to progress or clutch their pearls and say that the council should sit on its asset for sentimentality's sake. We say no. We are here and our public assets are here, to serve the people of this city and serve them, we will.