Agenda item - Member Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by councillors:

(a)      Petitions: to receive any petitions submitted to the full Council or at the meeting itself;

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

(c)      Letters: to consider any letters – to consider a letter received from Councillor Wealls (copy attached) ;

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

27a     Petitions

27.1    There were none.

27b     Written Questions

27.2    There were none.

27c     Letters

27.1    The Chair, Councillor O’Quinn referred to a letter received from Councillor Wealls (circulated with the agenda papers), making a formal request that Central Hove Ward be added to the Special Stress Area (SSA), as set out in the Brighton and Hove Statement of Licensing Policy 2016. Councillor Wealls was in present at the meeting and was invited to address the Committee in support of his letter.

27.2    In considering the request made Councillor Wealls re-iterated as referred to in his letter that there issues had arisen in his ward which were on–going which were evidenced and which in his view, that of his fellow ward councillor, Councillor  Moonan, residents and businesses warranted its inclusion. Crime mapping and alcohol related health statistics indicated that there was significant incidence of alcohol related harm. Councillor Wealls referred to the “Public Health Framework for Assessing Alcohol Licensing, Public Health Intelligence” published in October 2017 and to the wards ranking for A & E attendances with a record of alcohol and alcohol related mortality for example as well as the other issues identified and set out in his letter. It was important to note that the neighbouring ward of Brunswick and Adelaide, much of which sat in the Cumulative Impact Area (CIA), did not have as many problems against all of those metrics.

27.3    Councillor Wealls went on to state that more than half of Central Hove was a medium ranking hotspot for police recorded alcohol related incidents with much of the ward showing the same concentration of police recorded violence against the person as the neighbouring Brunswick and Adelaide Ward and had comparable levels of recorded criminal damage offences as much of the existing SSA with a high level of noise complaints made against licensed premises and a concentration of anti-social behaviour and alcohol and substance misuse related disturbances in a number of roads. This was a consequence in part to the fact that there were a number of emergency accommodation premises (some of which were entirely unsupported), a children’s home, two Equinox run homes for women recovering from alcohol and substance misuse, two hostels catering for stag/hen parties and for people requiring emergency (self-supported) accommodation. This mix created a “tinder box” situation which gave rise to the high number of incidents cited.

27.4    In answer to questions, the Regulatory Services Manager, Jim Whitelegg explained that the existing policies were reviewed periodically and that monitoring of developing situations changes across carried out. Members noted all that had been said and were of the view that they would wish the issues raised to be considered and a report brought back before the Committee for their consideration as soon as practicably possible.

27.5    RESOLVED - That the letter put forward by Councillor Wealls and its contents be received and noted and that Officer’s prepare a report detailing and assessing the practicalities of including Central Hove Ward in the Special Stress Area (SSA) for consideration by the Committee at the earliest possible time.