Agenda item - Written questions from members of the public.

A list of public questions received by the due date of 12noon on the 15 October 2021 will be circulated separately as part of an addendum at the meeting.

42.1         The Mayor reported that 8 written questions had been received from members of the public and invited Mr Johnson to join the meeting and address the council.

 

42.2         Mr Johnson asked the following question, Brighton needs to take an innovative leap as Berlin has done with regards to rent control.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/23/berlin-rent-cap-defeated-landlords-empty

Rent control cooled the housing market in Berlin (both in rental prices/ home prices) and should be developed in Brighton.   How quickly can this take place?

 

42.3         Councillor Gibson replied, improving private rented housing is a key priority in our Housing Committee Work Plan. However, rent control in non-Council-owned housing stock is outside the scope and powers of the local authorities and is a matter for national government

 

42.4         Mr Johnson asked the following supplementary question; are you suggesting that the matter needs to be raised in Parliament?

 

42.5         Councillor Gibson replied; yes and one slightly heartening thing is that in Scotland the SNP and Green parties are working on arrangements to introduce rent controls there which is a step forward and one that other governments may then adopt.

 

42.6         The Mayor thanked Mr Johnson for his questions and invited Mr Harris to come forward and address the council.

 

42.7         Mr Harris asked the following question;

 

The Home Office currently has a backlog of over 70k Asylum cases and rising waiting to be completed. This is causing massive delays and trauma to asylum seekers, many of which are fleeing violence, torture and war zones. Following the recent High Court action Ncube vs Brighton & Hove City Council, could the Council please explain the process a young (under 26) Asylum Seeker who is homeless, has NRPF and is in need of housing support / advice, should take in order to gain sanctuary and emergency housing support should they choose to live and settle in Brighton and Hove?

 

42.8         Councillor Gibson replied; each case has to be assessed individually. There is no blanket response, the law around this is complicated and the Council is constrained by legislation as highlighted in the case referred to.  It depends on many factors for example, what category of NRPFs a person is ; whether they are an EU citizen or are they in the UK with leave to remain or no leave to remain. Then there is the consideration of whether they have needs such as would come under the Care Act, or National Assistance Act or Children’s Act. If none of these apply, then there is consideration of whether they have a live application with the Home Office and whether accommodation can be provided by the Home office. The Council works with both organisations offering support and the Home Office wherever possible to ensure those with NRPF are not left destitute

 

42.9         Mr Harris asked the following supplementary question; I am actually thinking of a particular client.  He applied to social services and was told to go to the police station, but was put into a taxi, not told where they were going and ended up outside the city, away from the support services that had been put in place. Do you agree this is quite concerning?

 

42.10      Councillor Gibson replied; I really hope that the appropriate bodies will look at this particular case. I think councillors in the city are probably getting similar cases it would be good to know how the council is monitoring the situation to ensure that people are being placed into suitable care.

 

42.11      The Mayor thanked Mr Harris for his questions and invited Mr Smith to join the meeting and address the council.

 

42.12      Mr Smith asked the following question; is it envisaged or indeed is there any possibility (however remote) that any section of the A259 could be included in the car free city centre proposal and are the council and officers aware that transport infrastructure forms a very small part of the term liveable city?

 

Please can you also advise why the other five elements that constitute a liveable city are not receiving equal public consideration and do you accept that in the absence of this, the original definition of a car free city centre was infinitely more appropriate?

 

42.13      Councillor Heley replied; further work will be undertaken to explore the initial, proposed options for a Liveable City Centre that have been considered so far by the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee.  This will take place over time and in phases.  This work will include the extent of the areas and roads that could be included or excluded and how they could be managed to achieve the best outcomes for people and businesses. The role and use of the A259 will be an important part of this and opportunities for improving it for non-car users, including crossings to the seafront will be considered as part of this work.

 

We have used the term ‘liveable’ in ‘Liveable City Centre’ as a general description rather than suggesting that it will deliver all the normally recognised constituents of a ‘liveable city’.  However, by creating a more attractive central area, it will support improved city centre neighbourhoods, provide opportunities for more green spaces, and offer a more accessible environment.  It will also encourage and offer more sustainable mobility, support a diverse and resilient city centre economy, and will create more vibrant public spaces for everybody to use and enjoy. Other benefits would be improved air quality, reduced noise levels and safer streets.

 

42.14      Mr Smith asked a supplementary question, could I please have a copy of the plan should there be one and confirmation as to whether there is any intention to close part of the A259 and what the views of the DfT would be?

 

42.15      Councillor Heley replied, it was not possible to provide any further information at this point, but she would be happy to address any questions that Mr Smith had if he could send them to her.

 

42.16      The Mayor thanked Mr Smith for his questions and invited Councillor Fishleigh to ask a question on behalf of Anna Webb who was unable to join the meeting.

 

42.17      Councillor Fishleigh asked the following question; residents in Ovingdean want to reduce their reliance on cars but that is impossible when we have one bus an hour which stops before 7pm and only takes us either north or south.  We have no direct bus service into the local shops in Rottingdean. As part of the current bus review, will you commit to looking at how the bus service into and out of Ovingdean can be improved?

 

42.18      Councillor Heley replied; I recognise the issues you raise, and this is something I am keen to address to help make buses a more attractive option for more people. Our Bus Service Improvement Plan includes actions to improve the bus services supported by the council, including better frequencies and evening services. I’m pleased to say this includes services to Ovingdean but unfortunately, I am unable to commit to specific improvements until we are aware how much funding will be made available to councils to implement their Bus Service Improvement Plans. We hope to be able to provide an update on changes to supported bus services next year.

 

42.19      The Mayor thanked Councillor Fishleigh for asking the question on behalf of Ms Webb and noted that she was also asking a question on behalf of Tracey Llewellyn who was also unable to join the meeting.

 

42.20      Councillor Fishleigh asked the following question, residents of Ovingdean have repeatedly come to council committees asking for pavements where none currently exist on our busiest roads which are north Greenways and Ovingdean Road. These would enable us to get out of our cars and walk safely between the shop, nursery, village hall, church, takeaway & to access public footpaths across the farmland. 

In the draft Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan is a list of the prioritised neighbourhood areas for walking improvements.

Ovingdean is 25th on the list of 31. Why is Ovingdean so far down this list and will you consider moving it higher up?

 

42.21      Councillor Heley replied, thank you for your question Councillor Fishleigh, which follows on from the one you asked at Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee last month.  The technical input used to identify strategic priorities for the next 10 years have followed government recommendations, and this has been combined with a wide range of stakeholder input from across the city.   Factors that have been assessed include levels of high deprivation, age of population, and collisions involving pedestrian and cyclists.  In addition, the assessment has included connections with local services such as education facilities, strategic development sites, local destinations, leisure facilities, green spaces and Air Quality Management Areas.

 

The wider Ovingdean neighbourhood has been assessed and is included, but as a lower priority compared to others across the city.  However, we are currently consulting on the Plan and would welcome all suggestions and responses and the survey can be found on the council’s website.  

 

42.22   The Mayor thanked Councillor Fishleigh for asking the question on behalf of Ms Llewellyn and invited Mr Harland to join the meeting and address the council.

 

42.23   Mr Harland asked the following question, can the Leader of the Council confirm or deny that contact was made with change.org directly or indirectly, to complain and request the removal of the name and photo from the petition requesting the resignation of the Chair of the ETS committee? 

 

Link.https://www.change.org/p/brighton-hove-city-council-councillor-must-resign.

 

42.24   Councillor Mac Cafferty replied, Change.org determine whether a request to change a petition is accepted in the same way Facebook determines whether a post is acceptable or not. They govern this, not us. Particularly given the recent and horrific murder of David Amess MP while serving his own constituents, I am sure everyone here will agree that any purposeful targeting of a person in public life, particularly a person who falls under protected characteristics owing to their age, sex, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation, is one that should be challenged. Further, we are a minority administration, and we do not operate under a system of executive leadership. All decisions are taken, and pass or fall, owing to the votes of everyone, of all political parties, on a committee. Therefore to target one person for a policy or position is both wrong and inappropriate.

 

42.25   Mr Harland asked a supplementary question, if contact was made do you not consider that suppression of democracy?

 

42.26   Councillor Mac Cafferty replied, it is not appropriate for me to comment, if someone contacted Change.org as it is essentially a matter for them. I am accountable and answerable for the City Council actions, its policies or practices not what individuals do and their individual capacity outside of the City Council.

 

42.27   The Mayor thanked Mr Harland for his questions and invited Ms King to join the meeting and address the council.

 

42.28   Ms King asked the following question, given that various national allowance systems, such as Child Benefit, are means-tested to ensure that the wealthiest in society are not eligible to claim, can the Leader of the Council give examples of similar systems within the Council whereby wealth is taken into account when pay-outs are made?

 

42.29   Councillor Mac Cafferty replied; can I ask that Ms King emails me her question and what it is she is seeking an answer on so that I can provide a full response, as it stands, I am not sure I can give an appropriate reply.

 

42.30   Ms King asked the following supplementary question; is it appropriate for councillors to claim for babysitting costs?

 

42.31   Councillor Mac Cafferty replied; the matter relates to the Scheme of Members Allowances that is recommended by the Independent Remuneration Panel, who look at all aspects of remuneration and what should be included to enable people from all backgrounds to stand as councillors. This includes young parents and what support is appropriate for them to undertaken their roles and childcare forms part of the overall scheme.

 

42.32   The Mayor thanked Ms King for her questions and invited Mr Maclay to join the meeting and address the council.

 

42.33   Mr Maclay asked the following question does the leader of the council agree the accepted rule for councillors in the UK, is that they must live in the town/city that they represent, and that it would be inconceivable that any councillor would show total disregard for this rule and not be residing locally amongst their constituents, especially during “times of crisis” such as those that we are experiencing now?

 

42.34   Councillor Mac Cafferty replied; thank you for the question. The position regarding the qualification to stand for elections and being able to continue to hold office after being elected is governed by section 79 of the Local Government Act 1972. Section 79 actually says that there are a number of grounds for qualifying to hold and to continue to hold office as a councillor. They are not, however, limited to residents of the local authority. Some of the reasons that you can stand for office, could be that you are on the electoral register,  occupying lands or being a tenant, having one’s place of work in the area or during the 12 months preceding the election or residing in the area. I hope you'll be able to see from what I've said that being a resident of the local authority area is not the only ground for qualifying to be elected.

 

42.35   Mr Maclay asked the following supplementary question, could the Leader of the Council confirm he is aware of those in his Group who have spent considerably more than half their time in the last 18 months living outside Brighton and Hove?

 

42.36   Councillor Mac Cafferty replied, there is a need to appreciate the situation that we have all been in with the pandemic and people’s personal circumstances. It has meant that they were perhaps away from the city council area for a period of time due to restrictions on travel being imposed travel. It meant that there were lockdowns not just here, not just over Europe but all over the world.

 

42.37   The Mayor thanked Mr Maclay for his questions and noted that was the end of the public questions.