Agenda item - Public Involvement

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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 to the full Council or as notified for presentation at the meeting by the due of (10 days);

 

(b)      Written Questions: to receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 5 October 2018;

 

(c)      Deputations: to receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 5 October 2018

 

Referred from Full Council 19 July 2018

(i)            Mass Balloon Release – Ms T Fowler (copy attached)

Minutes:

51          Public Involvement

 

51(a)   Petitions

 

5.1       There were none

 

51 (b) Written Questions

 

51.2    Ms V Paynter asked the following question:

 

King Alfred

At the last Full Council meeting I enquired after the status of the King Alfred redevelopment and so was expecting this PRG meeting to carry a King Alfred item since I was given to understand formal public consultations would begin this autumn.  What further information on timings can you give us please?

51.3    The Chair gave the following response:

 

At the time of the February 2018 announcement of our successful £15.2m bid to the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF), Homes England indicated that the formal offer of grant funding would be issued by July 2018. That timetable was subsequently extended, and the Council received formal confirmation of HIF funding, together with the contractual arrangements that come with it, on 11th September 2018. The Council and Crest Nicholson (the partners) are working with Homes England to finalise arrangements, and in parallel with this the partners are seeking to conclude the Development Agreement that is in itself partly informed by the HIF funding agreement. It is hoped that this work will be concluded shortly and that this will enable a report to the Council’s Policy Resources & Growth Committee this winter.

 

Subject to committee approval, Crest would then commence the detailed design and consultation work early in the New Year

 

51.4    Ms V Paynter asked the following supplementary question:

 

            Do you have any specific dates?

 

51.5    The Chair gave the following response:

 

Last week officers wrote to Crest Nicholson asking for some formal confirmation of their commitment of their willingness to enter into a development agreement by the end of this year, and to promptly progress their planning application in accordance with programme requirements as set by Home England and the Council. Officers requested that the confirmation was at board level and was returned to the Council by 24 October.

 

51 (c)  Deputations

 

51.6    There were two deputations:

            (i) Mass Balloon Release

            (ii) Discretionary Fund

51.7    (i) Mass Balloon Release

The Chair stated that this had been presented at Full Council on 19 July 2018 by Ms T Fowler, and gave the following statement:

 

I would like to again thank Ms Fowler and supporters for bringing this Deputation to Council, and highlighting an important issue. Whilst the mass release of sky lanterns and helium balloons may look striking, it can leave a permanent hazard, particularly on marine life, but also on land. In addition, sky lanterns pose an avoidable fire risk.

 

According to the Marine Conservation Society, more than 70 councils in the UK have already introduced a ban on mass balloon and/or sky lantern release. I think it is important that Brighton & Hove City Council also addresses this issue and takes action.

 

I will ask officers to bring a report to a future Committee meeting, setting out a proposed policy on banning the mass release of balloons and sky lanterns on council owned land.

 

51.8    Councillor Janio asked which Committee it would be referred to, and was advised it would be the Environment Transport and Sustainability Committee, and a report would come in late spring or early summer.

 

51.9    Resolved: The Committee agreed to note the Deputation

 

51.10  (ii) Discretionary Fund

 

            The Chair asked Mr J Deans to present his deputation.

 

51.11  Mr Deans stated the following:

Given that free meals and wheels are no longer delivered to vulnerable malnourished people whilst the new charging system is prohibitive and given also that the discretionary fund can support nutritional needs (but currently does not fund meals on wheels) and ARCH (Morely St), Just Life and Occupational therapists have identified a small number of people experiencing malnutrition of whom it is estimated around 10 would benefit greatly from free meals on wheels. Given also that the discretionary fund has been underutilised, it is requested that, as a matter of urgency, a report is commissioned from officers exploring implications and costs of a policy of using discretionary payments to fund meals on wheels for homeless people that need them who are living in Emergency and Temporary Accommodation.

51.12  The Chair gave the following response:

The Revenues and Benefits service is responsible for the administration of three discretionary funds:

 

Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP). This fund is used to help vulnerable people who need extra help with housing costs, often this is to help cover a shortfall between housing benefit and rent but is also used to help with moving costs, deposits and rent in advance. A person must have an entitlement to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit  Discretionary Council Tax Reduction (DCTR). This fund is used to help vulnerable people who need extra help with their Council Tax; this is normally in the case where a person’s standard Council Tax Reduction does not cover their full Council Tax. A person must have an entitlement to CTR to be able to claim DCTR. Local Discretionary Social Fund (LDSF). This fund is used to help vulnerable people in an emergency access food, utility costs and other urgent items. It also can help with essential household items like beds and cookers.  If there is any resident (be they in their own accommodation, vulnerably housed or homeless) that has food and nutrition needs we would urge them or any friend, family, voluntary or community service to make contact through Access Point so a full assessment of Community their eligible needs can be made to ensure that the council is meeting its statutory responsibilities. The Health and Wellbeing Board has recently received a report about Food and Food Poverty. Following this report it was agreed that a further report will come back to the Health and Wellbeing Board looking at malnutrition in the city. At this point in the financial year, £0.566 million of a total budget of £1.242 million remains unallocated, however the full year forecast is that the budget will be fully utilised. Third Sector grants are provided to a range of charities in the city including £166,598 from the council’s third sector commission to food and homelessness charities in 2017/18 and 2018/19.

 

I can confirm that I have asked officers to look at the suggestions that you have made, and that a report will come first to the council’s Leadership Board, with a view to making a proposal through the relevant committee or as part of the annual budget process.

 

51.13Resolved: The Committee agreed to note the deputation

Supporting documents:

 


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