Agenda item - Member Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by Members:

(a)          Petitions: To receive any petitions;

(b)          Written Questions: To consider any written questions;

(c)          Letters: To consider any letters;

(i)            Anti-social parking and enforcement- Councillors Janio and Wares

(ii)          Refuse collection, Poets Corner- Councillors Nemeth and Peltzer Dunn

(d)          Notices of Motion: to consider any Notices of Motion referred from Full Council or submitted directly to the Committee.

(i)            Cycling Strategy

(c)      LETTERS

(i)            Anti-social parking and enforcement

26.1      The Committee considered a letter from Councillors Janio and Wares requesting the committee receive a report to a future meeting outlining various measures to address illegal and anti-social parking outside schools.

26.2      The Chair provided the following response:

“Thank you for your letter - I think it raises some pertinent points.

As your letter reflects, there is a lot of work going on but perhaps not in an easily identifiable or accessible format so I’m very happy to agree to your request for a report to come to the committee that will cover the issues that you have raised.  Hopefully that will come to the January Meeting. 

The officers leading on this work will be Paul McCann from Parking Strategy and Contracts”

26.3      RESOLVED- That the committee receive a report on the matter.

(ii)          Refuse collection, Poets Corner

26.4      The Committee considered a letter from Councillors Nemeth and Peltzer Dunn detailing issues that had arisen in relation to the introduction of wheelie bins in the Poets’ Corner area.

26.5      The Chair provided the following response:

“I have always been very clear that the additional wheeled bins are not a one-size-fits-all solution and, particularly in relation to the more built up areas of the city, different approaches should be considered. 

After having successfully delivered nearly 45,000 of the new bins we are taking time now to get the remaining areas right, Poets Corner is one such area. 

I discussed Poets Corner with officers two weeks ago and they will be in touch with you as a priority to review the area.  Following that meeting an officer was assigned to address the swaps requests in that area and we are steadily working through the remaining swap requests. 

The introductory leaflet that residents received in advance of the bins being delivered did indeed give the option of a smaller bin.    

We will also re-emphasise to collection crews that residents can continue to use a black box placed near the kerbside if they cannot easily accommodate a wheeled bin.   

I think it is worth reminding ourselves why we are doing this.  The trial of the bins showed that they increased recycling rates by 4% over the trial period with a commensurate reduction in residual waste. And, Councillor Page, I know that you will be especially pleased to hear this, given your recent email comments to a resident that you kindly copied me into to your residents about “bad recycling rates”.  Our overall rate now stands at 29.1% compared with the dismal 24% we inherited from the Green Party and we will increase that rate further.  I would like to thank all residents whose recycling efforts are contributing to this success. 

Given this increase in recycling rates, we obviously want the new bins to be used as widely as possible but do appreciate some areas and some roads with differing housing types, a careful approach and we are committed to working through those remaining areas with residents and ward councillors.”

26.6      Councillor West stated that it was his administration that had begun a pilot of wheeled bin recycling and its success had led to a further roll-out of the scheme. Councillor West noted that the previous Labour administration had introduced the popular black box recycling scheme and had been reticent to support the measures introduced by his administration to improve recycling and refuse rates.

26.7      The Chair stated that she felt the most recent recycling figures spoke for themselves.

26.8      Councillor Page thanked Councillors Nemeth and Peltzer Dunn for raising the issue that was not one confined to Poets Corner and was certainly an issue in his ward. Councillor Page added that little could be done to stop residents leaving their wheelie bins in the street and with pavement obstruction such an important issue, he hoped certain area based refinements could be made to the roll-out.

26.9      The Chair stated that she understood that Councillor Page had met with Cityclean officers recent and the issue in Hanover & Elm Grove would be dealt with appropriately.

26.10   RESOLVED- That the letter be noted.

(d)      NOTICES OF MOTION

(i)            Cycling Strategy

26.11    The Committee considered a Notice of Motion referred from the meeting of Full Council held on 20 July 2017 that requested a report be brought to the Committee outlining options for implementing a specific and ambitious cycling strategy for Brighton & Hove.

26.12   The Chair provided the following response:

“As the motion acknowledges, we have made good progress with initiatives and schemes to support and increase cycling in the city and the numbers are rising – the city has been recognised both national and internationally for this work.   

In addition to LTP and other core funding, significant additional resources have been bid for and invested such as: 

-       Growth Fund money for the Bikeshare scheme;

-       The £1.5 Access Fund award that is delivering projects to promote and address the barriers to sustainable travel with a strong emphasis on cycling promotion;

-       The Lewes Road Sustainable Transport Corridor featuring as good practice in the Government’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund evaluation;

-       And the city’s selection for a study visit from the Swedish Government which is taking place later this week to look at planning for successful cycling and how we have done that here.

The Government’s recently published Cycling & Walking Investment Strategy invited bids for technical support but unfortunately, our bid, although judged ‘good’ did not receive any funding.  The bidding process was heavily oversubscribed and it is disappointing not to receive the additional help for us to progress this work.

So, in terms of the measures outlined in the motion, we will be progressing along with our existing plans that have committed funding that officers are already working on to deliver cycling via the Local Transport Plan.  

We will have opportunities presented by the introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy and the emerging City Plan Part 2.  The scoping work for the consultation document for City Plan Part 2 had already identified sustainable transport and active travel as key issues for consideration.

Cycling and walking both feature as identified solutions and officers will be ensuring that they will be given an appropriate level of priority within the Transport section of the Plan and the draft document that is being prepared for summer 2018. This also will strengthen bids for further funding. 

Work on cycling will therefore continue as part of our existing priorities and we will continue to apply for external resources to further this work wherever we can. 

A report will come to the November meeting of this committee that will cover the government’s current consultation on its draft Transport Accessibility Action Plan that has a whole section on making cycling more accessible And so I can give a clear undertaking that reports will come to this committee or to other relevant committees such as Tourism, Development and Culture, as the programme to support and invest in cycling and sustainable travel is progressed and also, of course, to update Members.”

26.13   Councillor West stated that he was disappointed by the response as he understood that the Motion had been referred unanimously by Full Council to the committee with the expectation that a report would be agreed. Councillor West stated that he hoped Members would agree to adhere to the wishes of Full Council and agree to an officer report. Councillor West stated that there was a rise in cycling rates in the city however; the facilities and training in the city were currently inadequate. Councillor West added that now was an opportune moment to secure funding for such improvements and clarity and vision on how to deliver that was very important and delivery through the LTP was not the same as a specific, bold strategy.

26.14   The Chair stated that she believed she had outlined all the work and reports that would be considered by this and other committees, in relation to cycling strategy.

26.15   RESOLVED- That the Notice of Motion be noted.