Agenda item - Deputations from members of the public.

A list of deputations received by the due date of the 12^th July 2012 will be circulated separately as part of an addendum at the meeting.

6.1             The Mayor reported that three deputations had been received from members of the public and invited Mr. Goss as the spokesperson for the first deputation to come forward and address the council.

6.2             Mr. Goss thanked the Mayor and stated that, “On 3 March, the City Sightseeing Bus, operated by the Brighton and Hove Bus and Coach Company, was re-routed down the east side of Sussex Square and Lewes Crescent, from Eastern Road down to Marine Parade.  The Company obtained a summer 2012 permit for the re-routing from the Office of the Traffic Commissioner from 3 March.  The buses run daily at half hourly intervals from 10.35am to 6.35pm, that is 17 journeys per day, from 28 April till 16 September, then with reduced frequency until end September.  This deputation is from the residents and requests the Council to take the necessary steps to prevent the bus being routed through Sussex Square/Lewes Crescent once the current permit has expired.

            Sussex Square and Lewes Crescent, along with Arundel Terrace and Chichester Terrace, form the Kemp Town Estate, which has a Grade 1 listing. The Estate is a beautiful and cherished part of Brighton and we as residents want to share it with our Brighton community. We believe, however, that riding on a double decker bus, of up to 18 tons fully laden, which is travelling at speed through the Estate is not the way to enjoy, preserve and share its beauty and atmosphere. We believe that the bus is endangering the Estate’s inhabitants.  Many of the buses run empty or nearly empty, which is not good in terms of fuel use and maintenance, climate change and the environment. Scheduled bus services have never before run through the Estate.

            We believe the Estate should be kept as a relaxed pedestrian area which all can share. We very much welcome visitors but believe strongly that the Estate can best be enjoyed on foot. For those unable to explore it on foot, the best way to get a good view of the buildings and gardens in their entirety is from the bus on Marine Parade or Eastern Road.  The viewer does not gain much in addition from seeing just a few of the houses up close. We are also concerned that the bus will set a precedent in changing the road from being mostly residential to one with broader commercial use which will be very detrimental to the Estate.

            This deputation by the residents has the full support of the Kemp Town Society.  We will present to the Council at its meeting on 19 July an accompanying petition from local residents. The Brunswick and Adelaide Residents' Group, (covering Adelaide Crescent, Brunswick Square - which is also Grade 1 listed - and Lansdowne Place), also supports this Deputation. Tour buses passed through Brunswick Square at one time but no longer do so. 

            We understand that the Council’s Conservation Advisory Group (CAG), at their 24 April 2012 meeting, discussed the re-routing of the bus through the Estate and that the Group agreed that it should write to the bus company expressing its concern and that the KTS should raise this concern with its members. We understand that CAG’s concerns are similar to those raised in this deputation.

            We were also heartened to hear of the strong action taken by the Bath Council in 1998 when the safety and environment of the Royal Crescent in Bath (in particular the historical cobbled roadway) was endangered by sightseeing buses. The Council there arranged a public enquiry which resulted in the closure of one end of the Crescent to prevent through traffic. We also understand that the closure has yielded unexpected benefits to the Crescent from enabling visitors and residents to enjoy a peaceful and relaxed primarily pedestrian environment in the Crescent.”

6.3             Councillor Davey replied, “The authority has very limited power to force a bus company to change a route.  I’ve been given a copy of a letter from the Conservation Advisory Group to Mr French just a couple of days ago on this matter.  What I suggest is that we pass the petition on to the bus company and I’ll put a covering letter in with that and it will come to the next Transport Committee.  If the bus company do not agree to reroute this service, then the issue can be discussed by the committee and if it should be so minded a letter could be written to Mr French, and to the Transport Commissioner expressing concerns about the route, so I think we can work together on taking this matter forward.”

6.1             The Mayor thanked Mr. Goss for attending the meeting and speaking on behalf of the deputation. He explained that the points had been noted and the deputation would be referred to the Transport Committee for consideration. The persons forming the deputation would be invited to attend the meeting and would be informed subsequently of any action to be taken or proposed in relation to the matter set out in the deputation.

6.2             The Mayor then invited Mr. Bojczuk as the spokesperson for the second deputation to come forward and address the council.

6.3             Mr. Bojczuk thanked the Mayor and stated that,

            “The Older People’s Council, with the support of the city’s major stakeholders working with the elderly – AgeUK Brighton & Hove, Pensioner Action, CSV, CVSF-FED, Carer’s Group and Alzheimer’s Society – are seeking the support and commitment of Brighton & Hove Council in making an application to the WHO for Brighton & Hove to become a member of the WHO Age Friendly City Network.  The Age Friendly City Network was launched in June 2010 in Geneva with New York as the inaugural city. Since then, 17 cities worldwide have joined the network, with Manchester the only member, so far, from Britain.

Our application will mark the start of a programme designed to build age friendliness and active ageing into Brighton & Hove city policies and so become a city fit for all ages that promotes active ageing and independent living well into old age.

This requires a commitment to undertake a base line age-friendly status study, then to plan for and commit to improvements over the following 3 years. We feel that Brighton & Hove already fulfil many of the required criteria and working to improve age friendliness will tie in with the council’s existing sustainable community plans and friendly neighbourhood strategies.

We propose that the council vote to accept our motion to apply to join the age friendly city network and to work to include age friendly principles into council policies.”

6.4             Councillor Jarrett stated that he was happy to support the OPC in their application and noted that a number of aspects of the programme would tie in with existing council priorities and others may require budget support and further reports to committee.

6.5             The Mayor thanked Mr. Bojczuk for attending the meeting and speaking on behalf of the deputation.  In view of the request for the council’s support he then moved that Council expresses its support for the Older People Council’s application to join the WHO Age Friendly City Network.

6.6             RESOLVED: That the Council expresses its support for the Older People Council’s application to join the WHO Age Friendly City Network.

6.7             The Mayor then invited Ms. Hill as the spokesperson for the third deputation to come forward and address the council.

6.8             Ms. Hill thanked the Mayor and noted that since the deputation had been submitted, a number of the points of concern had been addressed by the Policy & Resources Committee meeting on the 12^th July, however she felt it was still appropriate to outline the deputation,

“When cuts were announced in early June to twelve subsidised bus services affecting large parts of the city, there was a public outcry. Cuts to the 81 and 52 mean no weekday evening service in Goldstone Valley, and no direct service at all from Ovingdean to the city centre. Sunday evening services will be thinned out from September to May, leaving no bus services at all on Elm Grove or Queens Park Road after 6pm on a Sunday for nine months of the year. Two school buses will cease, the 74 and the 96, serving Patcham, Hove Park and Blatchington Mill schools.

A petition in support of the 52 raised over 300 signatures in just a few days, and was presented at the Policy and Resources committee meeting on June 14th. At the same meeting, schoolchildren argued passionately in support of their school buses and amendments were proposed. However, the decision went ahead.

Since then, word has continued to spread. From Fiveways to the race course, from Woodingdean to Hove Park, over 1,600 signatures on the ongoing petition started by Brighton and Hove Labour demonstrates how much people value the city’s bus service. Many can’t understand why the Green Party controlled Council, so keen to get people out of their cars, would want to see the bus service reduced. People have pointed out that not everyone can cycle, and that many cannot drive or afford taxis. The elderly, those with disabilities, and young people are the most affected.

Targeting low usage services as a cost-saving exercise is short term. Those living far from the city centre with no car need a comprehensive bus service. Who would move to Goldstone Valley now without a car, knowing that there are no buses at all on a weekday evening, or Ovingdean, which is no longer linked directly to the city centre? Reducing the service causes a downward spiral, where rising car ownership drives down bus usage even more, making services ever more expensive to run, and at the same time increasing congestion, damaging air quality and enlarging our carbon footprint.

Following the support demonstrated by the petition and in the pages of the Argus, and after a meeting between Labour councillors and Brighton and Hove Bus Company, it now appears that the operator may be willing to reinstate the Sunday evening services, and we understand that there is a possibility that the Council will continue to fund the two school buses.

We welcome this, and thank the Council for responding to public opinion in this positive way. However, we would also like to ask that the funding of the 52 and 81 services be continued, by reconsidering other transport and sustainability budgets. It is difficult to justify spending on projects which may or may not deliver environmental benefits in the longer term, by cutting existing services which are helping people to live sustainably now.

Some have called Brighton and Hove a protest city, and people certainly have a right to voice a protest when services that they contribute to, and on which they rely, are withdrawn. We hope the Council is prepared to listen to the views of the people about their valued bus service, and to reconsider their decision.”

6.9             Councillor J. Kitcat thanked Ms. Hill for the deputation and acknowledged the importance that bus services played in the city’s economy and for residents.  He stated that there was a need to review the provision of school transport and this had been identified as part of the previous budget process.  He also noted that the decision taken at June meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee had resulted in a number of routes being maintained by the bus company without subsidy and had generated a saving of £1m to the council.  He also noted that at the recent meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee it had been agreed to provide subsidies for a number of other routes which meant that almost all routes would now continue to operate.

6.10         The Mayor thanked Ms. Hill for attending the meeting and stated that in view of the next item on the agenda and the fact that it was intended to open the debate to include Items 21 and 21(A), the issues raised in the deputation were likely to be addressed at that point.  He noted that this was the final deputation and therefore concluded the item.