Agenda item - Public Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by members of the public:

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

(b)           Written Questions: To receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 10 September 2021;

(c)           Deputations: To receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 10 September 2021.

(a)  Petitions

There were none.

(b)  Public Questions

20.1 The Chair welcomed Marc Cattermole to the meeting and invited him to put his question.

20.2 Marc Cattermole asked the following question:

Neighbouring towns offer ski or snowboarding centres which Brighton appears to not have this on offer I can only imagine this is due to funding. As an alternative could we not have an inflatable water park either seasonal or perm basis which would create revenue, employment along with health benefits. This could get funding from NHS or Princess Trust on each inflatable advertisements to again support ongoing revenue. Possible locations Hove Lagoon.

The water park could run with minimal staffing, offering life guard courses.

20.3 The Chair gave the following response:

Hove Lagoon is licensed to Lagoon Water sports who make full use of the water space available and have a lease of the adjacent Pavilion. They offer wakeboarding, windsurfing, sailing and stand-up paddleboard tuition and hire for all ages and abilities. Lagoon Water sports also offer a BTEC Level 3 Sport and Outdoor Activities course for 16-18 year olds in conjunction with Newman College in Hove. The small lagoon offers pedalos for hire and is operated alongside a Pirate mini golf course and other children’s amusements. The large lagoon is also regularly used by Brighton & Hove Model Yacht Club. 

At this time there is no space at Hove Lagoon for additional leisure uses.

20.4 Marc Cattermole indicated that he wished to ask a question regarding homelessness, and the Chair advised him to put that question to the Housing Committee.

20.5 The Chair indicated that the next speaker, Mark Strong, could not make the meeting today due to the date being a religious holy day. He confirmed that Democratic Services are working with the CEO to ensure that committees don’t fall on religious holy days in future. A copy of the response would be sent to Mark Strong after the meeting.

20.6 The Chair welcomed Naomi Bos to the meeting and invited her to put her question.

20.7 Naomi Bos asked the following question:

In the Community Safety and Crime Reduction Strategy 2020-23 the gaps and priorities for domestic abuse include:

• Improved access to and location of services.
• Better communication and signposting.

The previous Domestic Abuse provider, RISE, developed a single, integrated, entrance to local services, the Sussex Portal.  Leaflets, cards, social media and communications were then coordinated with RISE’s own comprehensive website to highlight local services and resources.  BHCC recommend residents visit the Stonewater and Victim Support websites where there is zero local information. We are almost 6 months into the new contract. When will a comprehensive, local, communication strategy be delivered?

20.8 The Chair gave the following response:

An action plan has been drawn up by officers to look at wider communications and awareness raising that includes awareness raising campaigns; targeted campaigns for specific areas including forced marriage, honour-based violence, female genital mutilation and linking these to the Brighton & Hove Community Safety Partnership. Our approach will also include social media engagement and age appropriate targeting.

I believe that there is information on Stonewater’s website about domestic abuse services in the City. The Victim Support website should launch in the next few weeks. Fliers for all services have been shared widely within the city council and external stakeholders.

20.9 Naomi Bos asked the following supplementary question:

My understanding is that the invisibility of the crisis services is having a bad knock-on effect on RISE because survivors and agencies are still using their services in great numbers so a small local charity is in effect picking up the slack of large national funded organisations. These people have communication teams. Could I ask for Councillors and Officers to visit both the Stonewater and Victim Support website to imagine themselves as a survivor in crisis looking for support, and to feedback that experience to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner? Can I also request they visit the RISE website to compare and contrast?

20.10 The Chair responded that officers and Councillors should definitely be looking at those websites, and an email would be sent around to all Councillors containing the links.

(c)  Deputations

There were none.