Agenda item - Deputations from members of the public.

A list of deputations received by the due date of the 11^th July 2013 will be circulated separately as part of an addendum at the meeting.

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

18.2         Mr. Kapp thanked the Mayor and stated that; “15 years ago I was a Councillor like you. For the last 13 years I’ve been a patient representative and a critical friend of the NHS campaigning like Julia Bailey. For the last 3 years I have been facilitating the 8 week Mindfulness Course which teaches people self help tools by which to manage their conditions. This course was featured last week on the Horizon program which showed that it can produce spectacular results in reducing intrusive negative thoughts as demonstrated by the presenter Doctor Michael Mosley.

            There are 30,000 depressed people in the City who could benefit from this course. My proposal is to mass commission this course and mass provide it so that less people would need to go to A+E. Implementing it would meet some of the recommendations of the Francis report and the report published last Tuesday by Sir Bruce Keogh. It’s only fair to say that the NHS already do commission this course so that they can check the box ‘complies with nice guidelines’ however so few facilitators are commissioned to provide it that the waiting time for the 160,000 people in Sussex is more than 20 years unless you are suicidal. This is tantamount to non provision and it risks commissioners being taken to judicial review without a legal to stand on.

            I’m one of more than 25 facilitators in the City who provide this course for clients who pay the going rate of a few hundred pounds. The poor patients can’t afford this sort money so do without and suffer the consequences. This is a cause of health inequalities. To reduce health inequalities for the last 5 years, I have been campaigning for commissioners in the NHS and the Council to reduce this excessive waiting time by opening up the market to facilitators in the 3^rd sector like me.

            To be ready to contract with the NHS and the Council, 3 years ago I created a company called SECTCo for short, this stands for Social Enterprise Complementary Therapy Company. SECTCo’s slogan is: ‘medication to meditation.’ SECTCo’s mission statement is: ‘Give a man a pill, and you mask his symptoms for a day. Teach him mindfulness, and he can heal his life.’

            I sent hundreds of e mails, documents, to commissioners but no one would engage with me and all seemed to have decision paralysis. I know that the law changed only 4 months ago on the 1^st of April. Since then, you Councillors have the responsibility for Public Health, so I am calling on you to play doctor to these commissioners and cure their decision paralysis. Please jointly set up with the NHS, a voucher system which would empower GP’s to prescribe this mindfulness course as easily as they could prozac. This would enable patients to access the course from existing 3^rd sector providers within a few weeks.  This is not privatisation by the backdoor but simply reducing waiting times for effective treatment which Labour did when they were in power and which has all party support.”

18.3         Councillor Jarrett replied, “Improving mental health and wellbeing has been a priority for the City Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group and there’s considerable joint work in pursuing the same. The 2013 Mental Health Commissioning Prospectus was, as you know, a joint initiative between the Clinical Commissioning Group and the City Council.  You will also know that there is now a Brighton and Hove Wellbeing Service which aims to improve access to psychological and support services for people with common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. This contract was awarded following a competitive tendering process and includes as part of the specification a range of evidence-based treatments including Mindfullness Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. General practitioners across the city are referring patients to this new service.

            The city council and Clinical Commissioning Group will be retendering mental health promotion contracts next summer following approval of the Public Health Commissioning paper at P&R committee on 11^th July 2013.  The defined outcomes will reflect the mental wellbeing strategy that is being developed through the Health and Wellbeing Board and is likely to follow the Five Ways route: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning, Give and the Public Health, NHS and Adult Social Care outcomes frameworks.  Many other locally commissioned programmes across the City Council and Clinical Commissioning Group deliver on Five Ways. These include joint work of Public Health with the Sports Development Team, Be Active, considerable City Council and Clinical Commissioning Group community development and equalities work, Connect, Adult Learning Schools, Keep Learning, Volunteer training and coordination, Give, and a large arts and culture programme, Take Notice, including a proposal for specific arts and culture work for World Mental Health day this year.

            Mindfulness courses are also delivered independently by several local voluntary organisations such as Mind and MindOut, and you will be aware that there are several local independent practitioners of mindfulness.  The City Council and Clinical Commissioning Group will continue to work together on the mental health and wellbeing agenda, and promote mindfulness where there is evidence for its effectiveness.  Mental wellbeing will remain a priority on the current Health and Wellbeing Strategy.  I should emphasise that Health and Wellbeing Board is a Council committee. It cannot instruct the Clinical Commissioning Group to do anything nor would it wish to. We work in partnership.”

18.4         The Mayor thanked Mr. Kapp for attending the meeting and speaking on behalf of the deputation. She explained that the points had been noted and the deputation would be referred to the Health & Wellbeing Board 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.

18.5         The Mayor then invited Mr. Barradell and Ms. Ahmadi as the spokespersons for the second deputation to come forward and address the council.

18.6         Ms. Ahmadi and Mr. Barradell thanked the Mayor and stated, “As students of Brighton University and residents of private sector Houses of Multiple Occupancy, we are subject to any rent changes of HMOs in the city. We are bringing this deputation to clarify with the council the possible effects of Additional HMO Licensing on the following five wards; Hanover and Elm Grove, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, St Peters and North Laine, Hollingdean & Stanmer and Queen’s Park.

            In the Student Housing Strategy maps of student distribution in the city, it is shown that these 5 wards are home to the majority of students studying at Brighton or Sussex Universities and living in the city. Moulsecoomb and Bevendean are regarded as the most noticeable student areas in the city, along with Hanover and Elm Grove, which houses 4% of University students. St Peters and North Laine, Hollingdean and Stanmer and Queens Park wards also have high levels of student residence. Because of these high concentrations of students in the 5 wards affected by Additional HMO Licensing, it will greatly affect the student population of Brighton and Hove.

            We appreciate that the decision to implement additional licensing onto smaller HMOs in the city was not a decision made lightly by the council, with an extensive consultation process preceding its implementation which included all relevant parties. Furthermore the student community recognises that such additional licensing can be justified. In the 5 wards affected there are between 1500 and 3000 small HMOs and 70% of the large HMOs in the city. Your own figures have shown that HMOs in these wards are subject to disproportionate complaints, interventions and substandard accommodation including lack of smoke detectors and gas/electricity certificates. The aim of the additional HMO licensing and standards is admirable and well-intentioned in its attempts to tackle these problems and is in the interest of many groupings in Brighton, as well as families and businesses and HMO residents like us.

            However, as students, our main concern regarding the additional licensing scheme is the lack of consideration for the effect of the scheme on rents in the HMO sector. Although the average license fee amount for a property is £641 over 5 years, averaging at £2.46 per week, it is still not beyond the realms of possibility that landlords will use this fee as justification for raising rents on properties. In addition the majority of properties licensed under the new scheme, 1451 as of June this year, have been required to carry out maintenance and often improvement works as a condition to receiving their license. There is a real danger that these landlord costs, which for many houses will run into thousands of pounds, will be passed onto tenants. Furthermore, there is no restriction against landlords raising rents by an amount above the cost of work done, effectively profiting from the licensing programme at the expense of tenants.

            Such possible and unintended consequences of the Additional Licensing Program for small HMOs would be regrettable and not in the interests of anyone in Brighton, especially for something which is intended to improve quality of life for HMO tenants and the communities of these 5 wards.  To this end, can we request that the council monitor rents for HMOs in the 5 wards as part of its assessment of the scheme? And that if this monitoring finds evidence that average rents in these wards have increased as a result of additional licensing that this is considered in the 2 year review of the scheme with the potential for council action to combat it.”

18.7         Councillor Randall replied, “Brighton and Hove has about 30% of it’s housing in the private rented sector, it has the 6^th highest number of HMOs of any local authority in Britain and of course we should at this point say that not all are lived in by students. This is a problem for all tenants in HMOs not all students.  We felt it was necessary to have additional licensing to deal with the smaller houses that were moving into HMOs at some rapid pace. I think all of the Councillors in this room who represent those 5 wards and perhaps some of those in other wards have had complaints about the quality of standards and living in HMOs and as you rightly said, we’ve had 1525 applications for smaller HMO registration of which 1203 have been dealt with.

            There is so far no evidence that this has put the rents up. I have to say rents are going up in this City in the private rented sector at an astonishing rate. I’m told by our Housing Department that already this year, they have gone up by 27% and the problem is every time a flat or a house changes hands, letting agents and landlords take the opportunity to put the rents up.  I’m glad to see that the government is apparently looking at a report produced by Shelter recently which calls for rent controls in the private rented sector and 5 year tenancies which I certainly support. We’ve had it in the social housing sector we should have it in the private rented sector as well.

            I did meet the president of Brighton Students’ Union last week and the previous resident plus 2 other representatives and we did talk about this whole issue. Their main concern was not so much about the issue of the registration of smaller HMOs but about the article for declaration that we have which restricts the number of HMOs in some areas and although you’ve not mentioned it I will touch on that briefly because that too is an important subject.  There are streets in my ward which have been changed radically because of the increase in the number of HMOs. Small domestic house where conservatories built in the garden; the roof has turned into bedrooms and you end up with conservatories being a sitting room inside the house, only a kitchen and a bathroom plus all the rest are bedrooms in fact I had some advice from a resident recently who pointed out that on Gumtree a small house of this nature is being advertised as space for 7 people.

            We will take away what you say about the rents. We will monitor them but we do feel that we have a responsibility to maintain standards in the private rented sector after all landlords are making a great deal out of their tenants they should in turn provide a good standard of service.”

18.8         The Mayor thanked Ms. Ahmadi and Mr. Barradell for attending the meeting and speaking on behalf of the deputation. She explained that the points had been noted and the deputation would be referred to the Housing 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.

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

18.10    Ms. Simson thanked the Mayor and stated, “I am here today to talk about the ongoing problem for pedestrians crossing Davey Drive in Hollingdean near to St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School. Early today myself and my Road Safety Team from school presented a petition to the Council to extend the yellow zig-zag lines outside our school to allow a clearer view of oncoming traffic for pedestrians crossing. This was an issue that, following the question presented to Full Council last year, was suggested as an action for the future but has never been followed through. It is one of the first small steps in making our school and community a safer place for pedestrians.

            St Josephs Primary School in Hollingdean is situated on a busy main bus route and every day parents, carers and their children take their lives in their hands when trying to cross outside the school. It is also situated next door to a sheltered housing scheme whose residents are always looking for a safe place to cross. The situation is worsened by the fact that there are bus stops both directly opposite and a short distance up the road. Parents are continually talking about near misses that happen all the time and one day there is going to be a serious accident with a child either seriously hurt or killed.

            The school and local community have been campaigning for years and have contacted the Council on many occasions to ask for a safe crossing place to be situated on Davey Drive outside the school. A petition was presented to Council in August 2009 from the school and local community asking for a safe crossing point on Davey Drive. Last year I presented a petition and question to Council asking for the same thing. Following our last attendance to the Full Council meeting in September 2012 and a meeting with the School Travel Team in October 2012, a fantastic new slope and steps were built outside the school entrance. This has created a brilliant crossing point for pedestrians and enables them to avoid walking down the grassy slope, as had been necessary prior to the steps. Unfortunately the steps are directly opposite the bus stop and as there are no other safe crossing measures in place, therefore the pedestrians have to cross a busy road with a very limited view of oncoming traffic.

            The Road Safety Team of 6 children from St Joseph’s School has recently met with Councillor Christina Summers and Community Development Worker Liz Lee. Having discussed the issues for pedestrians and been outside to review Davey Drive, the team came up with a dream vision of how they would like Davey Drive to be. The initial problem suggested by the children was the limited view when crossing from the bus stop, due to parked cars on the opposite side of Davey Drive. This is why we decided to start the petition to extend the yellow zig-zag lines. The bigger issue is getting safely across the road to the new steps, with the children suggesting getting a Crossing Patrol person to help them to cross.

            We know there is a big issue with the way some of our parents park when dropping off and picking up their children. This has been an ongoing problem and something that the school is working hard to address. The school has held assemblies educating the children how to cross safely, held meetings with parents and regularly updates the weekly newsletter with safe crossing information. Having met with several parents, and being one myself, I have to argue that until a safe crossing point is put in place this will continue to be an issue.

            We are continually advising parents to park away from the school and walk down to cross Davey Drive outside the school at the point of the new steps, as advised by Councillor Ian Davey and the ‘Park Safe, Walk Safe’ materials suggested following last year’s question to full council. However with no safe crossing point, parents are reluctant to do this.  If there was a safe place to cross, we could ask parents to drop their children up by The Crossway and not park up at all, especially the children in KS2. However, at present we cannot guarantee the safety of these children when crossing and are therefore reluctant to advise this. Would you drop your child off to school knowing that they had to cross a busy road independently, negotiating cars and buses without a clear view of oncoming traffic?

            According to the follow up report from Councillor Ian Davey after our question to Council last year, the Transport Planning Team had carried out an assessment at this point in Davey Drive by The Crossway in September 2011 between 8am and 9am.  It apparently showed that this location did not meet the nationally recognised criteria based on the number of pedestrian and vehicle movements over a given period to justify a crossing. I would argue that there is now a need to re-assess this as since 2011 the school has gained more pupils, many of which travel from outside the local area.  Also following the question presented to Full Council last year a response was received from the Chair of the Transport Committee stating that “officers have carried out site visits which indicate an average speed of 20.4 mph. Due to the low speed and good safety record we do not warrant a signalised crossing.”

            Whilst I accept this may be the average speed over a longer period it doesn’t mitigate the fact that at the beginning and end of the school day when many families are crossing the road, vehicles are travelling at much faster speeds, fast enough to maim or kill a child.  I would therefore urge you to look at this look at this situation again and give the children at St Josephs School what they have been asking for, a safe crossing.”

18.11    Councillor Davey replied, “Much work has been going between the road safety team and the school and I’m really pleased that that stuff will be bring some positive response. Regarding the zig-zags, zig-zag markers cannot be increased on one side only they have to be increased on both sides with an equal number of markings and this requires an alteration to a traffic regulation order as any increase in the length would impact on the existing disabled parking bay that would have to be relocated to the detriment of the local user unless the whole school ‘keep clear’ markings were to be moved at great expense; something that the road safety team do not consider is justifiable given the history of this road. 

            A number of actions have been taken. Double yellow lines with loading restrictions were put on the corner of The Crossway and Davey Drive which would allow instant enforcement from the Civil Enforcement Officers. You mention the school crossing patrol assessment which didn’t meet the criteria laid there by the Department of Transport and RoSPA. A speed check was carried on the 12^th November between 2:30pm and 3:30pm, the average speed was 20mph and there were 90 vehicles during that time so that was during a busy school leaving time.  The Travel Team said sent some information on walk to school week and the information about the walking zone maps. Work will continue, we understand there is a new head taking place coming in to post soon, I think a meeting has been setup with that new head and discussions that could be a forum that continues these discussions and we will try and get a further response when this comes to Environment Transport and Sustainability Committee in October.”

18.12    The thanked Ms. Simson for attending the meeting and speaking on behalf of the deputation. She explained that the points had been noted and the deputation would be referred to the Environment, Transport & Sustainability 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.  The Mayor noted that there were no other deputations and that concluded the item.