Agenda item - Member Involvement

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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;

 

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

 

 

Minutes:

(B)     MEMBER QUESTIONS

 

(1)           Greening Project at Round Hill

 

50.1      Councillor West read the following question:

 

“In 2019 committee received a petition relating to greening projects for Round Hill and called for a report. Residents have developed a funded plan for a pocket park at Princes Crescent bus stop. Persistent pavement parking there now makes urgent the need to reclaim this space for pedestrians and bus users. Delays caused by the pandemic are appreciated yet gaining even simple progress from Highways proves elusive. The project offers a good model that supports the ambitions of LCWIP. All residents seek is permission to get on with the job. When will the promised report be brought before the committee?”

 

50.2      The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“I am sorry you and the Roundhill Residents have been waiting for a detailed  response to their proposal for creating pocket parks and more specifically dealing with persistent pavement parking on Ditchling Road behind the bus stop at Princes Crescent.

I have raised this with officers who have explained that the initial request for a report relates more to creation of pocket parks at other locations and that whilst meetings between Council Officers from different departments, the bus company and the residents have taken place there was no agreement to install a pocket park to prevent pavement parking at this location.

Pavement Parking is illegal and anti-social that in most situations can be dealt with by civil parking powers and in all other cases by criminal powers only operated by the Police. I am also aware that the Council has been expecting to receive new pavement parking enforcement powers that have likely been delayed during the pandemic alongside our own focus to deliver the important Active Travel Programme that we have been instructed to implement urgently by Government that has made it extremely difficult to resource requests such as this without delaying this important programme.

However, whilst I appreciate this has been difficult for officers to bring forward a specific report on a Greening Project across Roundhill, I do see it is important to the local community and Ward Members. Therefore, I have asked the Assistant Director to contact Mr Furlong and arrange a site meeting with the Ward Councillors to explore options that can be taken forward at the Princes Crescent Bus Stop”.

 

50.3      Councillor West noted that there were a number of projects relating to the Round Hill area and hoped that commitment could be given for a Low Traffic Neighbourhood for Round Hill.

 

50.4      The Chair confirmed that could be explored.

 

(2)           Saltdean Recycling Point over Christmas

 

50.5      The Chair provided the following written reply to Councillor Fishleigh:

 

“Thank you for your question and thank you for your efforts in clearing the waste point over the festive period last year.

I appreciate more waste is generated at Christmas. As per the response to the question last year, Cityclean cannot provide additional bins at the Saltdean recycling point as it is not possible to provide extra bins to all areas of the city – extra staff, vehicles and bins will be required.

Residents must manage their waste responsibly and minimise the additional waste produced by thinking about their purchasing.

If a resident has too much waste to fit in their bin, they can take it to a recycling point (if it’s recyclable), take it to one of the Household Waste Recycling Sites, or hang on to it until their next collection.

Since the festive period last year, Cityclean has introduced CCTV to fly-tipping hot spots across the city. The Environmental Enforcement Team will be monitoring all the CCTV sites closely throughout the Christmas period, as well as increasing patrols.

Fly-tipping of waste is illegal, and anyone caught by CCTV or patrol will be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice”.

 

(3)           Bike racks on Saltdean Undercliff

 

50.6      The Chair provided the following written response to Councillor Fishleigh:

 

“Thank you for your question. I am sorry you haven’t had a response on Bike Racks and have asked officers to contact you by the end of the week to discuss suitable locations and options to improve cycle parking in this location”.

 

(4)           Rubbish collections during the bin strike

 

50.7      The Chair provided the following written responsee to Councillor Platts:

 

“Thank you for your questions.

 

For point a, the following on-street areas were identified as high risk:

         South/North Lanes (especially Ship Street)

         Western Road and its side streets

         Lewes Road and/ Upper Lewes Road

         Seven Dials and Davigdor Road

         Poets Corner

         Church Road and its side streets

         St James Street

 

For point b, areas that were cleared by the contractor were:

         Two sites on Middle Street

         Ship Street, near The Ivy

         Ship Street, near Brighton Town Hall

         Lewes Road

         Morley Street at the corner of Grand Parade

         Vernon Terrace

         New England Street and New Preston Circus

 

For point c, these were identified through feedback from staff, such as Street Cleansing and Environmental Enforcement, as well as resident and councillor feedback.

For point d, we understand this question relates to the site on the corner of Chesham Road and Eaton Place, outside the old GP surgery. Sorry this was not identified as a high risk area. At the time, Cityclean resources were very stretched and limited whilst the strike was being managed. It is not an area that was flagged to us.

For point e, bin stores identified were those that were attached to residential properties and blocks of flats.

For point f, contractors visited bin stores to remove side waste to reduce the risk and provide access to remove and empty bins for when the service resumed.

 

These bin stores were:

         Arena House

         Argus Lofts

         Avalon

         Belbourne Court

         Blackmore Court

         Boulevard House

         Cawthorne House

         Curzon House

         Fred Emery Court

         Homelees House

         Mayflower Square

         Oriental House

         Osprey House

         Sillwood Mansions

         The Leas

         Theobald House

         Vernon Court

 

Also, for information, for council housing blocks of flats, staff managed bin stores and bin areas by sweeping up any split bags and piling rubbish into corners of bin stores, so residents were still able to dispose of their rubbish. For outside areas, where possible, bins were used as a barrier and rubbish was stacked in the middle and then covered with sheets of cardboard to deter foxes and seagulls from ripping bags open”.

 

(5)           Bulky Waste Collections

 

50.8      The Chair provided the following written response to Councillor Platts

 

“Thank you for your question. Cityclean has not completed any research into the accessibility of information via a QR code for our older population.

As stated in the response at Full Council, this was a helpful idea and in reviewing signage on communal bins, Cityclean will look at the options available to signpost residents on how to dispose of their waste. This will include whether QR codes are a realistic option. Key to this will be ensuring information is easily accessible to all residents”.

 

(6)           East Brighton park- locked pitch

 

50.9      The Chair provided the following written response to Councillor Platts:

 

“Thank you for this question and apologies for the confusion with the last response.

One gate to the pitch is locked as the gate post is unsound. The other gate is open, and the area is being used. There are currently no plans to refurbish this area”.

 

(7)           East Brighton Park – Pavilion toilets

 

50.10   The Chair provided the following written response to Councillor Platts:

 

“Thank you for this question and apologies for the confusion with the last response.

City Parks staff clean the pavilion toilets. It is not part of the public toilet cleaning contract”.

 

(8)           Cleaning and graffiti in East Brighton

 

50.11   The Chair provided the following written response to Councillor Platts:

 

“Thank you for your question.

As stated in the article in the local press, this is a trial, running for three months from 1 November to 28 January. At the end of the trial, Cityclean will assess how effective it has been before considering the next steps.

To determine the effectiveness of the trial, operatives are photographing and logging all the graffiti removed in order to track the rate in which new pieces appear and ascertain whether this diminishes during the trial period. Cityclean is also recording operative time used to assess the resource needed to deliver this approach in the future.

The success of the trial will be assessed at the end of the three-month period when the data is available and once it has been analysed.

The trial has been made possible through the commitment of an extra £100,000 towards graffiti removal in the council budget. Therefore, if it is determined that the trial has been a success, additional funds will need to be identified before it can be rolled out further.

If it is decided to roll out further, Cityclean will work with community groups and stakeholders to determine viable areas of the city, where the work will have a positive impact”.

Supporting documents:

 


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