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 (Copy Attached);

 

(1)           Councillor Bagaeen – Black Rock

 

(2)           Councillor Simson – Victoria Fountain

 

(3)           Councillor Simson – Funding Received for Community Safety

 

(4)           Councillor Bagaeen – Anti-Racism Strategy

 

(c)           Letters: To consider any letters;

 

(d)           Notices of Motion: to consider any Notices of Motion submitted directly to the Committee.

 

i.               Conservative Group NoM – Black Rock Disabled Access (Copy Attached)

 

Minutes:

Notices of Motion

 

7.1 The Chair invited Councillor Simson to introduce the Notice of Motion on page 31 of the Agenda, regarding Black Rock Disabled Access.

 

7.2 Councillor Simson introduce the Notice of Motion which was seconded by Councillor Brown.

 

7.3 Councillor Rainey supported the Notice of Motion, citing the 850 metre beach boardwalk which was opened earlier in 2022, as well as the plans to build a new lift linking Madeira Drive and Marine Parade. Councillor Powell also expressed her support for the Notice of Motion.

 

7.4 Councillor Robins raised that it is important to pay recognition to the Volunteers at Black Rock, and supported the Notice of Motion. Councillor Evans also expressed her support for the Notice of Motion.

 

RESOLVED: The Notice of Motion was agreed by Committee.

 

Written Questions

 

7.5 Councillor Simson asked the question on page 33 regarding Victoria Fountain.

 

7.6 The Chair gave the following response:

 

The Victoria Fountain, Old Steine is temporarily propped and has been made safe following the structural engineer HOP’s condition report that identified structural problems in early 2020.  There were delays to carrying out intrusive surveys due to the pandemic and HOP were commissioned to do further in-depth surveys of the structure in 2021 to be able to specify the repair works for all the specialisms associated with the repair works for the Fountain which they have been working on earlier this year. HOP have been appointed to project manage the major refurbishment and repairs required to renovate the Victoria Fountain and it is part of their brief to assess the ground conditions to ensure safe working methods on the project.

 

The update is that the tender package has been put together and the route to market has been agreed with Corporate Procurement. Some final information about the mechanical and electrical specification, and minor amendments to the health and safety documents, are required, but we forecast the tender going live this week. Completion of the project is expected by the end of December 2022.

 

The condition of the fountain cannot be fully assessed until the upper sections are craned out of position during the construction stage. There is, as a result, a potential likelihood that the works phase of the contract could extend past December and the project is of course also weather dependent.

 

7.7 Councillor Simson asked if members could be updated on the progress of the works – the Chair confirmed that any updates would be mentioned in Chairs Comms or briefing notes to members.

 

7.8 Councillor Simson asked the question on page 33 of the Agenda regarding funding for community safety.

 

7.9 The Chair gave the following response:

 

The £94k contribution from the PCC office for 2022/23 is pooled with the public health substance misuse service budget to provide the full range of substance misuse interventions including those to engage and support offenders into treatment.

 

The Youth Offending Service contribution from the Office of the Sussex Police Crime Commissioner is added to a pooled budget from other statutory partners including the Police and the Local Authority. This budget funds the Youth Offending Service, including the pre court and post court work with children involved in offending behaviour. The OPCC contribution was 1.5% of the total budget for the Adolescent Service in 2021/22.

 

The community safety contribution from the OSPCC also forms part of a pooled budget for the safer communities team and allows the service to deliver against the community safety strategy as well as funding a post in the ASB casework team.

 

7.10 Councillor Brown asked the question on page 33 of the Agenda regarding the Anti Racism Strategy (in place of Councillor Bagaeen).

 

7.11 The Chair gave the following response:

 

The Police was very positive about attending the Anti-Racism Community Advisory Group established by the city council to facilitate dialogue between services and communities. However, the members of the CAG prioritised their time for council services as they felt the Police already had several engagement groups with BME groups that should be used.

 

The council core funds the Racial Harassment Forum (RHF) which provides support to people who have experienced race/faith hate and liaises and feeds back to the Police on improving its processes and services.

 

The council has funded three third party community-based reporting centres. All three are now opened. There is one hosted by the RHF specifically for BME communities. Individuals can be supported to report to statutory agencies or can complete a report which can be submitted on their behalf. They may also decide that they do not wish to report to statutory agencies at all. Officers will be monitoring the success of these going forward.

 

7.12 Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw added that the Police are heavily involved with the Council regarding the Racial Harassment Policy, and the Public Engagement Group is used to consult residents on all aspects of policing in the city.

 

7.13 Councillor Nemeth asked the question on page 5 of Addendum 1, regarding the Chlorine Shortage.

 

7.14 The Chair gave the following response:

 

The national and global chlorine shortage was first mentioned to me when the Sports Facilities Investment Plan Working Group Members toured the King Alfred Leisure Centre.  I asked questions at the time regarding the situation and potential impact and followed up in conversations with officers. I was satisfied that Freedom Leisure were doing what they could to stockpile chlorine in containers, order as much chlorine from suppliers as could be safely stored and was also interested to learn about the planned installation of new equipment at the Prince Regent to increase resilience and enable the direct generation of the required chlorine on site. I was recently alerted to an unplanned closure of one the main chlorine generating plants in the UK which was impacting on the chemical deliveries nationwide and within Brighton & Hove. This unexpected additional issue meant that we could run out of the stored chemicals before new stocks could be delivered and after considering options, we circulated the information via a briefing as soon as possible to keep other councillors informed. There was also a press release to keep the public informed and difficult decisions made in order to agree a priority for chlorine allocation with Freedom Leisure to prioritise keeping the main swimming pools open.

 

7.15 Councillor Nemeth asked the Chair how he plans to prioritise between outdoor and indoor pools. The Chair responded that numerous outdoor facilities except the Level are closed until the new Chlorine delivery at the start of July, to prioritise indoor pools.

Supporting documents:

 


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