Agenda item - Public Involvement

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

(a)           Petitions: To receive any petitions presented by members of the public notified by the due date of 7 January 2021;

(b)           Written Questions: To receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 7^th January 2021;

(c)           Deputations: To receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 7^th January 2021.

(b) Written Questions

59.1 The Chair read out the question submitted by Gary Farmer located on page 5 of Addendum 1, and provided the following response:

The Valley Gardens area has been a popular location for the city’s night-time economy for many years and on 11th March 2021 TECC Committee approved the establishment of a Christmas Market for a period of three years.  The published committee paper describes in detail the application process for awarding this licence.  The invitation to bid for a licence to operate the Christmas market was widely advertised and any organisation, including the Brighton Pier Group, could have submitted a proposal.  A local small business was successful in securing the licence, following a scoring process against published criteria.  The event was also considered by the local authority Safety Advisory Group (SAG) on 18th November 2021.

The invitation to bid for a licence included the opportunity to establish a mixture of retail stalls, food and beverage outlets, entertainment and attractions.    What was placed at the Valley Gardens site corresponds with this description.   The council’s policy is to encourage a wide range of events over the year and this includes funfairs.  There are funfairs on The Level at various times in the year.

This was a competitive process and the fees involved are commercially sensitive information.      However, I can confirm that the city’s Cultural Recovery Plan, helping artists and small organisations in Brighton and Hove, is being supported with fees from the Christmas Festival.

59.2 The Chair read out the question submitted by Derek Wright located on page 6 of Addendum 1, and provided the following response:

The Seafront Office are aware of the issue of shingle overtopping onto the promenade in this location.  A contractor has been instructed to build a run of stone gabions on the edge of the beach to retain the shingle and keep the promenade clear and accessible.

(c) Deputations

59.3 The Chair gave the following response to a deputation submitted from Full Council found on pages 5-10 of Addendum 2:

In order to provide a new strategic vision for sports facilities in the City, the Council appointed leisure consultants to undertake comprehensive condition surveys of each facility, a review of the indoor sports facilities portfolio and options for their future management. This included the drafting of a Sports Facilities Investment Plan 2021 – 2031, which identified that the public sports centres and swimming pools were showing their age and a strategic investment plan was required to transform the future leisure provision. The planning and implementation phase of the Sports Facilities Investment Plan is progressing and will be considered through the City Council TECC Committee.

The Council welcomed the opportunity in October 2021 for Cllr Osborne and Cllr Platts to visit The Morningside Arena in Leicester to see the indoor sports facilities.

Councillors and officers would like to meet with the Club to explore the potential opportunities to work together on the provision of improved sports facilities in the City.

RESOLVED: The Committee agreed to request a report on this deputation to a future Committee.