Agenda item - Oral questions from Councillors

21.1    The Mayor noted that 9 oral questions had been received. The Mayor stated that 30 minutes were set aside for the duration of the item.

 

21.2    Cllr Mac Cafferty asked the following question, This week we mark the 50^th anniversary of humanity landing on the moon. I’ve been in contact with Cityclean of Brighton about the necessary replacement of old and broken communal bins in the Brunswick area now for over 50 weeks. Will the Chair of Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee assure me that it’s not going to take 50 years?

 

21.3    Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of the Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee gave the following response, No. it will not take that long again.

 

21.4    Councillor Mac Cafferty asked the followingsupplementary question; The last time I raised the issue was at the last Council in March and, the then, Councillor Mitchell informed me that there was an issue about capacity of the bins. The lack of action because it had to be done, “in a planned way.” We have had a parallel decision about smaller glass bins being rolled out which wasn’t part of any plan. I’ve now written to Cityclean about the relocation of 4 communal bins in my ward, 2 on Western Street and 2 in Wilbury Road. I have now sent over 30 emails in the course of the past 24 months, wrote a question to Full Council over a year ago and another Full Council on March the 28^th, I’m to understand there will be a longer-term review. Will Councillor Pissaridou please instruct officers to move these communal bins?

 

21.5    Councillor Pissaridou gave the following response, Through the modernisation program, we are completing a communal bin audit which will capture all data relating to refuse recycling and glass bins across the city including street name, ward, nearest landmark, geolocation, capacity, condition etc so we will be covering yours. Photos will also be taken to capture locations; the data will be used to determine whether there is enough containment in a particular vicinity to manage future change requests as well as to be used on the website for residents to find their nearest communal bin.

 

        We are also drafting a number of standard operating procedures to ensure our approach to managing the following, are clear and consistent:

 

·     Sighting communal bins

·     Managing a request to move a bin

·     Managing a request for another bin

·     How to roll out communal bins.

 

Requests and complaints continue to be sent to Cityclean and some of these are taking longer than usual to address for which we apologise. This is because through the modernisation program, Cityclean is seeking to ensure appropriate and consistent practices are followed for all the communal bins across this city, this means the service cannot automatically make the requested changes, rather the service is reviewing the current arrangements for each enquiry before adding more containment on streets or moving bins to different locations.

 

21.6    Councillor Theobald asked the following question, The roundabout forms the entrance to our City for motorists entering our city on the A23 and its deplorable state gives a very poor impression of the City for visitors. Residents continually complain to me and other Councillors about the appearance, former Councillor Gill Mitchell in her last response on the subject last year, assured me that improvements would be very soon in the new year. That was the same response that I’ve had for the last 4 years. When will work on this start?

 

21.7    Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee gave the following response, As agreed at the June ET&S Committee on the 20^th June, City Transport and City Parks will be working with Highways England and a landscape sponsor to improve the A27 / A23 gateway roundabout by the end of the year. City Parks anticipates the roundabout will be cleared and levelled by late September. Following this a 2-meter perimeter of tarmac embedded with gravel is to be added to the inner edge of the roundabout. The tarmac ring will reduce the maintenance of the roundabout by removing planting areas that would struggle in these polluted locations. The tarmac ring will also mean that future landscape contractors will work further from the road, thus improving their safety and wellbeing. This component of the scheme should be complete in November.

 

          A planting design for the roundabout will be developed in November, this will be implemented by the landscape sponsor in November/December. More ambitious proposals for the roundabout which might include, lighting or sculpture may become considered in the New Year. The concept behind these changes seeks to make the island safe by limiting driver’s views so that they only focus on the oncoming traffic.

 

21.8   Councillor Theobald asked the following supplementary question, Can you assure you me this really will happen this time?

 

21.9   Councillor Pissaridou gave the following response, You have my assurance. The welcome bed has died due to the pollution. The welcome bed will be maintained with the existing flowers finishing in October, after this period City parks is due to remove the structures, including the box hedge around it, but they will plant some other flowers again.

 

21.10   Cllr Heley asked the following question; Since the passing of the climate emergency motion in December which commits the Council to ensure that Brighton and Hove are carbon neutral by 2030, could the Chair of Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee please explain to Full Council what has happened since.

 

21.11 Councillor Platts, Leader of the Council, gave the following response, The City Council declared its recognition of the ongoing climate and biodiversity emergencies at Full Council in December. The Chief Executive wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer stating the Council’s concern and requesting Government funding for Climate action to be made available. A circular economy route map has been developed to adapt innovative ways of keeping products materials and resources at their highest value and minimising waste, helping to significantly reduce carbon emissions. The initial focus is on the built environment and construction and visitor economy.

 

        The Greater Brighton Infrastructure Panel is developing energy and water plans to help meet the growth requirements of the City region in a sustainable way including moving towards zero carbon energy system. The Council recently established a sustainability and carbon reduction investment fund of £500,000 for capital projects to reduce carbon emission, adapt to climate change and build resilience, protect and enhance biodiversity and develop a circular economy. Initial project ideas for potential development include an energy efficiency revolving fund to deliver ongoing energy reduction projects across the corporate estate, an electric bike share pilot and expanding the network of electric vehicle public fast charging points.

       

        On the 11^th July Policy, Resources & Growth Committee approved £565,000 in capital borrowing in 2019/2020 to install solar voltaic panels on to corporate buildings. The council is also looking at how it can increase the sustainability specification of new council homes it delivers directly to ensure these projects help the city move toward the carbon neutral target.

 

        The Labour party announced its commitment to making the city carbon neutral by May 2030 and planning for City Assembly has started. The work will be cost cutting priority of a new corporate strategy. We will involve residents and stakeholders in supporting our city to become carbon neutral, for example through the biosphere and the Greater Brighton Infrastructure Panel. This could provide an opportunity for local experts, residents and local businesses to put forward potential climate action ideas.

 

        I am pleased so many people have already been in touch proactively, wanting to be involved.

 

21.12    Councillor Heley asked the following supplementary question, We now only have 18 months to halt the worst of climate change according to IPCC. Will we have a fully costed plan by the time of the budget in February and also considering the high level of concern that our residents have about the progress about this climate emergency motion, what communications are the Council planning to inform members of the public?

 

21.13  Councillor Platts gave the following response, We have committed to producing a plan by June 2020. We will do our best to incorporate whatever we’ve got into the budget for 2019/20 and the plan that comes in June 2020 will be a 10 year plan up to 2030. As far as communications go, I’m hoping that that will come out of our City Assembly and all of our work with stakeholders.

 

21.14  Councillor Fishleigh asked the following question, Will the Chair of the Planning Committee agree to set up a cross-party working group to examine how the advice provided to the Planning department by the District Valuers Service can be supplemented by information from other sources?

 

21.15  Councillor Hill, Chair of the Planning Committee gave the following response, I recognize that a number of Councillors have expressed an interest ensuring that we get best possible advice on development viability and I’m one of the other members that have also expressed an interest in this topic. I’m committed to ensure that we are maximizing the level of affordable development achieved through the planning system while also making sure that the city is a viable place for developers.

 

I have therefore asked the Head of Planning to prepare a scoping report which will include research on what we currently do, how comparative authorities get viability advice and make some recommendations for the best options in the future. Councillors will be engaged through the existing cross-party Members Working Group which already exists, and officers will need to consult development industry as well. I will ask for a report on this to be taken to the TECC committee later this year.

 

In the meantime, officers will be arranging training on development viability and affordable housing for all Councillors in the Autumn.

 

21.16  Councillor Mears asked the following question, What commitment will this Labour administration be making to support all businesses in the City?

 

21.17  Councillor Robins, Chair of Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee gave the following response, We will set up a meeting with yourself and relevant officer to go through the list of KPI’s in relevant detail. I can provide a list of highlights such as;

 

·        The chartered institute of public finance and accountancy which set up a comparison of sixteen comparator cities like Southampton, Bournemouth, Bristol, Southend on Sea, Portsmouth in order to benchmark how we are doing. In 2018/2019 results show fairly positive year in terms of growth in the number of businesses in Brighton and Hove with a marginal rise of 2.09 the equivalent of 285 businesses in to 2018 compared with a rise of 495 in 2017. Despite the marginal growth, the City is below the green target of 3.93% set in 2018/19 but is marginally above the amber target off 2%. The city, therefore, achieves an amber status for 2018. When we compare this using the CIPRA comparison, Brighton & Hove has performed very strongly with statistical neighbours despite the amber rating and is currently rated top of the 16 comparator areas for average growth. Their comparative rate is 0.14%.

 

·        The number of private sector jobs in Brighton and Hove grew by 1044 to 114,658 in 2017 giving the KPI result of 0.76%.

 

21.18 Councillor Mears asked the following supplementary question, Can the administration confirm that they do not support the comments by the then Deputy Leader of the Council and the then Chair of Children’s Committee at the 11^th July PR&G on home to school transport stating, “he does not support lavish public contracts for petty local bourgeois monopolies”. This question originally directed to the Leader of the Council who was at the meeting and chaired the Policy, Resources & Growth Committee on the 11^th July.

 

21.19 Councillor Robins gave the following response, I don’t know how I can respond, I’m not the Chair of the CYPS. I chair the new TECC committee not the CYPS.

 

21.20  Councillor Davis asked the following question, For too long the roads surrounding our schools have been intolerable. The health and safety of our children is being endangered by the onslaught of vehicles, the residents of our fine schools are facing a daily battle with pavement parking, idling cars and aggressive drivers. Our head teachers and their staff are having the valuable time taken up in dealing with this problem and associated implications. What are the administration’s plans to tackling this problem?

 

21.21  Councillor Childs, Chair of Children, Young People & Skills Committee gave the following response, I’m aware of this serious issue with schools. There is excessive pollution and at times extremely dangerous situations arise with double parking etc. every school does have a transport plan with the aim of encouraging more sustainable ways of parents bringing their children to school to reduce pollution and improve health and wellbeing. There is signage in place at every school and there are patrols that go to schools to try and police this issue. There are no current plans, however I’m aware of the seriousness of the issue and would welcome working with my Green colleague to try and look at how we can further address this issue.

 

21.22  Councillor Davis asked the following supplementary, When can this administration adopt a successful School Street Strategy like the innovative toolkit Hackney Council have introduced?

 

21.23  Councillor Childs gave the following response, I’m happy to work with our Green colleagues to introduce one and discuss one as soon as possible.

 

21.24  Councillor Clare asked the following question, Could the Chair of ET&S Committee give me information on suppliers of our communal bins and sustainability impacts in procuring them?

 

21.25  Councillor Pissaridou, Chair of Environment, Transport and   Sustainability gave the following response, Our communal bins and spare parts are procured from Italy via a third party. We have a number of communal bins on order as well as spare parts for a number of months despite with being confirmed with delivery dates, we still haven’t received the goods. We are phoning the company daily and last week were talking with the CEO of the company and have been assured that new bins and replacement parts are now on route from Italy.

 

21.26  Councillor Clare asked the following supplementary, What preparations are Council putting in in the event of no-deal Brexit to procure bins if they are still supplied from Italy?

 

21.27  Councillor Pissaridou gave the following response, Although we get them from Italy now, in future we would like to change the bin system, so we are less reliant on one supplier.

 

21.28  Councillor Nield asked the following question, Would the Leader of the Council agree that, in light of the UN Security Council report in to war crimes in Yemen providing clear evidence that Brighton’s own EDO MDM Arms Manufacturer has provided for bombs targeted at civilians in an attack which the UN has found to violate international humanitarian law, it is now time to call time on the bomb factory?

21.29Councillor Nancy Platts, Leader of the Council, gave the following response, The UN found the attack violated international humanitarian law. UK policyis not to license arms sales where there is clear risk they might be used in serious violations of international humanitarian law. I wish that the EDO MDM factory was not based in Brighton or anywhere in the UK for that matter as I am personally opposed to the UK arms trade however that is outside our powers as a local authority.

 

        I will be writing to the Secretary of State to call for an enquiry in to this incident and whether the EDO MDM should have their license revoked. I welcome the support of any Councillor in this chamber who would like to join me in signing that letter.

       

21.30  Councillor Shanks asked the following question, Could I have an update on the take up of primary school places across the city for September coming?

21.31  Councillor Childs, Chair of Children, Young People & Skills Committee gave the following response, As you may well be aware, we’re currently going through a dip demographically speaking of 4 and 5 year olds. In 2020 the numbers are projected to be 2588 and they will drop, if predictions are correct, in 2021 and 2022 leaving the surplus of places between 350 and 650. We are continuing to work and plan to try and keep schools open throughout the period of the dip because demographics change and there are plans to extend housing within the city and other factors can quickly impact those numbers.

 

We will work together with other political organisations on the cross-party school working group and I believe we are meeting next week; school places and how we will best manage this to avoid impact on schools will be one of the areas that I hope we can discuss. We have avoided the creation of 3 very small classes with the impact they would have with certain schools.

 

Three other schools have had their numbers reduced and two others having undergone assessment have not. We are mindful of the pressure that surplus places create on schools and as a local authority we have done our best in terms of the funding we’ve had to support schools through ways such as license deposits and providing support where possible.

 

21.32  Councillor Shanks asked the following supplementary question, What is the strategy?

 

21.33  Councillor Childs gave the following response, There are no plans to close any of the schools in Brighton & Hove and to do so would be quite short sighted because as we know demographics can shift quite quickly particularly if housing projects are planned. In terms of planning, officers are already looking at how pupil admission numbers can be reduced in 2021 but obviously as a local authority those powers of democratic control were removed by Conservative Government many years ago but certainly we will continue to work with other political organisations at the Cross Party Working Group next week so we can talk more about what our plans are to try and keep all our schools open.