Agenda item - Written questions from members of the public.

A list of public questions received by the due date of 12noon on the 24 January 2020 will be circulated separately as part of an addendum at the meeting.

66.1         The Mayor reported that 3 written questions had been received from members of the public.  She also stated that she intended to take the Notice of Motion, Item 72 (2) on the agenda, Child Refugees, immediately after the final question as it related to the subject of the question.  She then invited Mr. Hawtree to come forward and address the council.

66.2         Mr. Hawtree asked the following question;Could Councillor Platts please assure us that this Authority will have no truck with the proposed festival of ‘Brexit’ 2022?

66.3         Councillor Platts replied; Yes, I speak as Leader of the Labour Group and I call on the other Leaders to support me on this.

66.4         Mr. Hawtree asked the following supplementary question; Now rather than dwell on the gloomy task we face tomorrow, can I ask whether you will be supporting the ‘Re-join Movement’ so that England and Wales can follow an independent Scotland and a United Ireland in re-joining and in doing so, as part of this process can I hope that you would support proportional representation towards this end so that coming generations here in Hove and Brighton and elsewhere can enjoy the shared life we had with those people across Le Manche.

66.5         Councillor Platts replied; I think I can only speak in a personal capacity on this issue otherwise I would need to consult my Group members. I support remaining in the European Union and personally, I am a supporter of proportional representation government and for elections.

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

66.7         Mr. Gunn asked the following question, on October 10^th last year an agenda item passed without any public scrutiny or councillor input on a decision to authorise the freehold acquisition of Valley Social Centre by Brighton & Hove City Council. This then went to Housing on the 13.11.19 and again this was passed without any scrutiny and away from public eyes. An application to protect the venue as an asset of community value has been sent to BHCC. Residents want to keep it in the community’s hands. The former trustees were voted out.

Can you please update the Whitehawk Community and extended community with the council’s current position on this purchase?

66.8         Councillor Platts replied; The council is aware of concerns within the Whitehawk community regarding the future of the Valley Social Centre following its recent closure.  In acknowledgement of the current situation, the council felt that it would be appropriate to pause any plans to potentially purchase the site until such a time that the constitutional and other issues have been resolved. I am happy to put that in writing to you if you would like me to do so.

66.9         Mr. Gunn thanked Councillor Platts for her response and stated that he did not have a supplementary question.

66.10      The Mayor thanked Mr. Gunn for his question and invited Mr. Yabroudi to come forward and address the council.

66.11      Mr. Yabroudi asked the following question; When you’ve escaped war to make a new life in this lovely city, what often hurts most is being separated from your family. Sometimes our children must travel to safety alone, like baby Moses, floating in his basket down the Nile.

              It’s agonising when we know our son, daughter, nephew or niece has managed to reach Europe but is stuck somewhere. What can the Council do to help children avoid dangerous journeys and find sanctuary in Brighton & Hove?

66.12      Councillor Grimshaw replied; Thank you for your question. Brighton & Hove City continues to participate, whenever we can, in government schemes to accommodate and support children who have managed to enter the UK.  We are also pleased to continue to work with the local City of Sanctuary Group on growing our network of ‘Schools of Sanctuary’, improving the experience of refugee children arriving in the city’s schools.  

However, we like you, remain concerned about those children who are trapped by the rules in difficult and dangerous situations in Europe and that is why we are supporting the Notice of Motion to put pressure on central government to ensure safe passage for children and to continue to reiterate our willingness to house child refugees.  

66.13      Mr. Yabroudi asked the following supplementary question; I do wish to thank you for all the help and support you are bringing across the UK. Even though you know the hard times that we face and all of those people who find it really hard just to flee from the country and to give their children safety and a life. So, what can the people of the city do to help?

66.14      Councillor Grimshaw replied; Thank you once again. To re-iterate we are totally committed, and our hearts are touched by the terrible circumstances we are seeing that is going on in the world now and I personally would like to give my commitment to doing everything I can to help in any way possible.

66.15      The Mayor thanked Yabroudi for his questions and noted that ended the questions for the meeting.

Notice of Motion 72 (2) Child Refugees

66.16      The Mayor then stated that she would take the Notice of Motion, Item 72 (2) on Child Refugees and called on Councillor Littman to propose the motion.

66.17      Councillor Littman proposed the joint motion on behalf of the Green and Labour Groups and noted that he had brought similar motions previously in 2015 and 2017.  He noted that the only a small number of places offered by local authorities had been taken up by the Home Office to date and he hoped that all Members would support the motion before them today.  He noted that Brighton and Hove was a city of sanctuary and that families should not be separated and every step possible should be taken to reunite them.

66.18      Councillor Allcock formally seconded the motion and noted that follow a deputation to Council in 208 10 refugee children per year would be offered places in the city.  He paid tribute to the council team that worked with refugees as well as the organisations in the city and hoped that this would continue and that the motion would be supported.

66.19      Councillors Janio, Appich and Bagaeen spoke on the motion.

66.20      Councillor Littman thanked Councillor Allcock for his support and the backing of the Labour Group and noted the comments during the debate.  He hoped that the motion would have the full council’s support.

66.21      The Mayor then put the following motion to the vote;

This Council requests that the Chief Executive:

·           Write to the Home Secretary, restating our offer to house child refugees,

·           Write to the Prime Minister, asking him to publicly avow his support for the basic principle of Safe Passage, and to state categorically that Brexit legislation will not be used to prevent children trapped in horrendous conditions in France, Greece, and Italy from reuniting with their families in the UK.

66.22      The Mayor confirmed that the motion had been carried.