WRITTEN QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC        

 

A period of not more than fifteen minutes shall be allowed for questions submitted by a member of the public who either lives or works in the area of the authority at each ordinary meeting of the Council.

 

Every question shall be put and answered without discussion, but the person to whom a question has been put may decline to answer.  The person who asked the question may ask one relevant supplementary question, which shall be put and answered without discussion.

 

The following written question has been received from members of the public.

 

 

1.         QUESTION From: Paul Johnson

 

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?   

Councillor Gibson / Hugh-Jones, Joint Chair of the Housing Committee will reply.

 

 

2.         QUESTION From: Daniel Harris

 

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?

 

Councillor Gibson / Hugh-Jones, Joint Chair of the Housing Committee will reply.

 

 

3.         QUESTION From: Nigel Smith

 

Liveable City

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?

 

Councillor Heley, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.

 

 

4.         QUESTION From: Anna Webb

 

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?

 

Councillor Heley, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.

 

 

5.         QUESTION From: Tracey Llewellyn

 

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?

 

Councillor Heley, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee will reply.

 

 

6.         QUESTION From: Peter Harland

 

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

 

Councillor Mac Cafferty, Leader of the Council will reply.

 

7.         QUESTION From: Laura King

 

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?

 

Councillor Mac Cafferty, Leader of the Council will reply.

 

 

8.         QUESTION From: Andy Maclay

 

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?

 

Councillor Mac Cafferty, Leader of the Council will reply.