Agenda item - Written questions from members of the public.

A list of public questions received by the due date of the 9 July 2009 will be circulated separately as part of an addendum at the meeting.

5.1           The Mayor reported that three written questions had been received from members of the public and invited Mr. Pennington to come forward and address the council.

5.2           Mr. Pennington asked the following question:

          “In March 2008, I attended public meetings about the Disabled Access Advisory Group and assurances were given that disabled groups and individuals would continue to have a meaningful voice in this city, following the subsequent closure of DAAG.

Will the council please repeat those assurances, with examples of how disabled groups and individuals can have a meaningful voice in this city?”

5.3           Councillor Simson replied, “I do want to assure you that this Council is committed to ensuring that disabled people will be enabled to have a meaningful voice in Brighton & Hove and we are working to promote the involvement of disabled people across all the council’s activities.  To this end we have, with the PCT, funded the Get Involved Project organised by the Brighton & Hove Federation of Disabled People with an overall aim of increasing visibility and influence of disabled people locally.  This project supports a diverse and representative group of disabled people to hold public bodies to account by questioning key staff on elements of their Disability Equality Schemes, followed by joint problem solving. 

Other activities by the Get Involved Project include:

A database of organisations and individuals wanting to engage with the council on particular issues.

Regular engagement with members of Montague House and Sensory Services.

Contributions to Brighton & Hove City Council’s Equality Impact Assessments including the Physical Disability Strategy and Street Licensing.

Joint workshop for Federation staff and volunteers around how to ensure involvement in Equality Impact Assessment to make sure it is meaningful and productive.

LGBT-specific disabled people’s group launch and Winter Pride event held.

A network of disabled people available to officers who need site visits (for example - a visit to Eastbourne to look at their accessible beach), focus groups on street licensing and taxi consultation and other engagement opportunities like the Waste Management Strategy.

Our planners are working with the Get Involved Group too in order to establish a structured way of obtaining feedback, both on long-term strategy and individual development projects.  Planners recognise that disability should be built-in from the start – not bolted-on at the end.  In addition to all this, all Directorates continue to support and engage with disabled people through our public consultations and service-user groups.”

5.4           Mr. Pennington asked the following supplementary question,

“At what stage will the Federation become involved again on the Planning Committee?”

5.5           Councillor Simson replied, “As I do not sit on the Planning Committee I am not aware of that but I can tell you that planners, as I have said, are now working before the Planning Committee.  They want to have input from the disabled groups long before the Planning Committee ever sit, so that any issues can be dealt with right at the start of planning applications rather than at the end.”

5.6           The Mayor thanked Mr. Pennington for his questions and invited Mr. Hawtree to come forward and address the council.

5.7           Mr. Hawtree asked the following question:

          "Would Councillor Smith please tell us whether, and how, he envisages such devices as the Kindle forming part of the public library system?"

5.8           Councillor Smith replied, “Thank you for your question about the Kindle, which is one of a number of portable ebook reading devices that are now available on the market.  The Libraries Plan has committed us to researching how we can modernise our Libraries Services, and we will be looking at the feasibility of introducing ebooks in the future.  There are issues of compatibility of different systems, and the need for enough books to be available as ebooks, to be considered.  We will be seeking to balance the desire for early adoption with a long term sustainable ability to support as wide a variety of electronic reader devices as possible.  Ebooks certainly look like an exciting new way of making books available, which we would like to provide for our library users.”

5.9           Mr. Hawtree asked the following supplementary question,

“It’s a very large subject and I think Dan Brown’s new novel will galvanise it - there’s a lot of controversy over that - but it is a subject which brings many subjects to mind and I have been prompted to ask this question by the book I most recently read Hephzibah Anderson’s recent book ‘Chastened’ in which she says, ‘one couple I know traded lingering looks, smouldering looks and finally words, a folded slip of paper was passed like in a play or perhaps a classroom in one of the world’s most romantic places, the New York Public Library’s 42^nd Street branch, but their’s is an increasingly rare story; for more and more couples it starts with a click, a mouse click’.

Councillor Smith I am not so sure if it’s going to be an entirely digital world.  We have seen the rise of the ‘slow movement’ beside processed food, radio is now outstripping television, downloads are making people seek out live concerts more and more and I think there are printed leaflets swirling around Goldsmid, so it’s a very wide ranging subject.

With all these thoughts in mind Councillor Smith could you tell us which book you most recently read and in which format?”

5.10       Councillor Smith replied, “How to win an election.  I am sure if you went to our poetry classes they would be quite happy to hear you speak but being serious more and more people, especially of the younger generation, I know my grandsons who are aged five, six and seven, are on their computers and look things up on there.  I am sure, like Volk’s Railway is still there as a lovely place to go and the ride to go on, you will have the main monorails coming in the future.”

5.11       The Mayor thanked Mr. Hawtree for his questions and invited Ms. Calder to come forward and address the council.

5.12       Ms. Calder asked the following question:

          “Councillors can be proud of the role they played in safeguarding St Peter’s Church, traditionally used for civic ceremonies. Holy Trinity Brompton’s rescue package has been accepted. However, the Diocese has closed both church and hall while repairs take place - pending the start-date of HTB’s priest in late October. This planned four month closure was opposed by most of the congregation, who felt it would be distressing to parishioners and put church and contents at risk. What steps can Councillors take to safeguard building and contents - and protect from damage or dispersal items of religious, historic or civic value?”

5.13       Councillor Mears replied, “Thank you for your question.  I’d like to start by saying how important we feel faith communities are to Brighton & Hove.  This Administration is committed to building a city around shared values and shared aspirations and we believe that participation of faith groups is essential if we are to achieve our goals by bringing different communities together.

St Peter’s Church is one of the most dramatic and beautiful buildings in Brighton & Hove and is seen by many as the city’s ‘cathedral’.  We have been very concerned about the building for some time and were delighted to hear that a future had been found through Holy Trinity Brompton.

As you have indicated we have been, where appropriate, active in supporting efforts to secure a future for St Peter’s.  As part of this we have met with various key stakeholders and liaised directly with the Diocese.  For example, as part of this work we have written to the Church Commissioners requesting that the Book of Remembrance continues to be maintained within the church.

We have also recently met with Archie Coates, the future Vicar, to discuss their plans including restoration work and the conservation of the church’s historic and civic items.  During this meeting I suggested an exhibition of these items could be organised by Holy Trinity as part of the activities they will be undertaking to re-open the church in the autumn.  In terms of next steps I plan to write formally to the Diocese regarding the matters of concern you have raised.  In addition I will be offering practical support in the form of a photographic survey, carried out by our Museums Service, to document individual items of historic significance found within St Peter’s Church.”

5.14       Ms. Calder asked the following supplementary question,

“Thank you very much, that’s very encouraging.  As you say St Peter’s is often referred to as Brighton’s ‘cathedral’ and like All Saints in Hove it’s traditionally been used for major civic ceremonies and to celebrate events of national importance.  I would like to know is it this Council’s intention to continue to use St Peter’s Church for civic ceremonies and events of national importance?”

5.15       Councillor Mears replied, “It is certainly our intention to ensure that happens.  We have talked with Archie Coates, the new vicar, and I have to tell you he is very, very keen to become part of the community.  He knows of you very well and he is very keen to meet up with you and have these discussions.  I think he totally recognises the importance of St Peter’s and, you know, the impact it has on the city and wants to bring the community into the church and around that area.  I have every confidence that St Peter’s under Archie Coates’ direction will actually take that forward.

I would also like to say on behalf of the city actually, thank you for all your work that you have done around St Peter’s.  You have raised its profile; you have worked so hard to ensure that it is in people’s minds and it is well focused and I have actually shared all that with Archie Coates, so he is well aware of the real support from the community around St Peters, so a big thank you to you as well.”

5.16       The Mayor thanked Ms. Calder for her questions.