Council takes three years to paint a row of bollards

Whilst I am grateful that the work has now finally been done, it has taken three years to get a row of bollards painted in Waterloo Street. Residents have been asking for all this time, without luck. The council really does have to re-think how it delivers these small jobs - it is actually what residents judge them on. I was never going to give up until this was done for them - when I threatened to paint the bollards myself, they were magically done a few days later with the help of volunteers from a local church!

New plans for multiple mobile phone antennas on the Providence Pub in Western Road - please have your say

The council has received a planning application for three mobile phone mast antennas on the roof of the Providence Pub on Western Road. We are asking residents to join us in objecting to the application - we believe that it is significant in size, close to homes and above a building which has been used as a nursery.

Mobile phone masts are a necessary evil, but we also believe people have the right to live free from health fears over them. This is too close to local homes and a less intrusive site should be found. This proposal significantly upgrades the existing equipment there and because of its size is especially cause for concern.

Details of the application are:

BH2009/02543 Sussex House 130 Western Road Hove

Replacement of existing 5 metre-high roof top flagpole to accommodate 3 No. triband antennas and installation of additional roof top equipment cabinet.

Applicant: MBNL Agent: Mono Consultants Ltd
C/O Mono Consultants Ltd 48 St Vincent St Glasgow G2 5TS
48 St Vincent St Glasgow G2 5TS

You can find out more about the application here. Please use the reference BH2009/02543 to search for the application.

You can comment on the proposal via email to planning.applications@brighton-hove.gov.uk - or in writing to the Planning Department at:
Hove Town Hall
Norton Road
Hove
East Sussex
BN3 3BQ .

Again please quote the planning reference.

Unelected Tory Lords should not be able to frustrate the Commons on new laws criminalising "homophobic hatred"

Liberal Democrat campaigners have reacted angrily to amendments by Tory peers to the Coroners and Justice Bill which will allow criticism of "sexual conduct and practice" on the basis that it protects "free speech".

MPs had previously voted to remove the free speech clause from the bill during its passage through parliament on four different occasions.

The unelected Tory peers must not be able to frustrate the will of the elected Commons, who have clearly expressed their position by voting to protect the rights of groups such as the LGBT community, who are at risk from hate crimes.

This comes at a time when homophobic hate crime is at the top of the agenda. Have these Tories not been listening? Instead they continue to spout their bigoted opinions under the veil of freedom of speech. What about our rights to live our lives with the fear of harassment and violence?

Lib Dems support Stonewall anti-bullying week

Brighton & Hove Liberal Democrat Councillors Paul Elgood and David Watkins are supporting Stonewall's work during Anti-Bullying Week, November 16-20 2009, which highlights the devastating impact of bullying and how we can protect vulnerable young people.

Homophobic bullying is an epidemic in Britain's schools today. The result is not only lower educational achievement but a tragic increase in the rate of self-harm and suicide among young lesbian, gay and bisexual people.

Stoneall are asking for support for their Education for All campaign to tackle homophobic bullying in schools during national Anti-Bullying week 16 - 21 November.

Paul commented: 'Young people need the time and space to come to terms with who they are and how they want to live their lives. It is too easy for playground comments to become bullying. If this goes unchecked a young person's life can be made a misery. Schools must continue to work to tackle awareness of this issue and tackle bullying. They school bullying of today can easily become the hate crime of tomorrow, which is especially significant at a time of increased concerns over community safety in the city.'

Remembering the fallen

When I first joined the council, I never really appreciated the significance of the remembrance events in the city. I attended in many ways to honour my Grandfathers, who served in the war. Each year the old soldiers turn out, and each year there are a few less faces there from that generation. On Sunday, I've never seen the Hove parade better attended, by young and old alike. I was at Westminster today at 11am, and the Abbey gardens are a moving tribute to the fallen. Again the crowds turned out, with people taking a few moments out from their offices or meetings. It is sad to think that it has taken the conflicts in Iraq and now Afghanistan to return these events to the public's attention.

Strike suspended but...

The unions have scored a massive victory over the Tory Council and their battle to retain the pay levels of some of the lowest paid workers in the city. They have suspended their strike action for a number of weeks pending further discussions on the latest proposed deal. I firmly put the blame for this dispute on the Tory leadership and council managers who have handled these negotiations badly. The but in the title is the bit which damages the reputation of the council with residents, that being the piles of rubbish now rotting around every bin in the city. It is hard to see the Tories handle this more badly.

Becoming a 2012 Green Capital more relevant than Capital of Culture for city

Liberal Democrats say that Brighton & Hove City Council should concentrate on becoming a Green Capital rather than a Capital of Culture, after the EU launched its scheme to reward cities working towards a green future.

The European Green Capital Award Scheme 2012/2013 gives recognition to cities with a consistent record of high environmental standards.

Lib Dem Councillor Paul Elgood said:

"I would love for the 2012 European Green Capital award to be given to Brighton & Hove. It would be recognition of the great achievements being made here."

"Some of the biggest environmental challenges are found in cities. 80% of Europeans live in urban areas so the work done by City Councils to protect the environment can have a hugely positive effect."

"Successfully dealing with carbon emissions, waste disposal and sustainable transport will benefit more than just those who live within the city's boundaries.

"This would mean so much more than being a Capital of Culture - its would be an incredible achievement for the city and for generations to come.'

Brighton & Hove under the Tories...

And all we get from the Tory Leader of the Council is 'no comment'. Residents really do deserve better.

CityClean strike - advisory information

CityClean have advised that...

All refuse recycling and street cleansing rounds today were disrupted by on-going industrial action.

Services over the weekend will also be limited, and as of Monday morning we are not expecting any services to be operating.

Our call centre will remain open, but we are trying to direct residents to the web site for information and advice. Non Cityclean calls are being directed to the relevant departments through switchboard to help manage call volumes.

Unfortunately we are unable to do anything with missed collections during the strike period; therefore we are not considering logging individual collection issues from callers. However, we will advise callers of the situation and ask for their patience.

Dog fouling problems

I organised for a group of parents to directly raise with the council their concerns over dog fouling problems in the roads leading up to Somerhill School. They are rightly angry at the level of unchecked dog fouling. In two roads we found six examples - and this was a good day. The officers were helpful in addressing the issue, but clearly it is a resource-led problem as there aren't enough staff to enforce and check these areas on a daily basis. Only 3 on the spot fines have been issued in the recent past - that really is poor. This problem is easily dismissed but actually is one of the big quality of life issues for local people.

Thousands of disabled students left struggling

The Government could not answer Liberal Democrat peer, Lord Addington today when he asked who would take responsibility for the thousands of disabled students still waiting for essential funding.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) report less than 20% of Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA) applications received for 2009-10 have been fully processed.

Applications for the next funding cycle 2010-11 will start arriving this month further adding to the backlog.

Lord Addington commented: “The Students Loans Company has made a real mess of Disabled Student Allowances (DSAs). The processing of DSA applications has been a catalogue of failure and incompetence leaving thousands of students struggling to cope.

“It’s a scandal that disabled students who have worked hard to secure a place at university are not getting the support they need. Many are still waiting for funding to buy special equipment so they can do their course.

David addresses Old Steine hate crime vigil

Cllr David Watkins addressed last night's moving hate crime vigil in the Old Steine. Homophobic attacks continue to cause huge concern, with serious incidents occurring across the country. David is a member of the Community Safety Forum and has been a consistent voice on equality and community safety issues in the council for over ten years.

Brian Paddick: better police response to homophobia needed

In an interview with Channel 4 news this week, Lib Dem and formerly highest ranking out officer in the London Metropolitan Police force Brian Paddick spoke out on casual homophobia in the playground and the media and how this pattern of behaviour extends to brutal homophobic attacks. He highlighted that "75% of those surveyed by Stonewall say they did not report (homophobic) attacks to the Police" - and that while we would like to think the increase in reporting reflects a greater confidence in the police force it may well also reflect an increase in hate crime

Watch the Channel 4 interview here.

Thank you CityClean

I was really please with the speed CityClean took to clean off graffiti on the newly restored Adelaide Crescent walls - thank you!

Advice surgery this Saturday

Meet your Councillors on Saturday at 10am at the Cornerstone - we're here for help and advice.

Brighton & Hove's Labour MPs vote against 10:10 climate change campaign

Brighton & Hove's three Labour MPs Celia Barlow, David Lepper and Des Turner have failed to act to tackle climate change, after voting down the 10:10 climate change campaign in a key vote in the House of Commons.

Commenting after the defeat of a Liberal Democrat Opposition day motion calling for Government, Parliament, and all public sector bodies to cut their carbon pollution by 10% by the end of 2010, Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary Simon Hughes MP said:

“This is a bad day for Parliament, Labour and the planet.

“The Government has failed to understand the level of public support for the 10:10 campaign or to get the message that people want real political action now to tackle dangerous climate change.

“Britain needs a Government which sets an example and delivers immediate and ambitious carbon reductions in the UK. Today the Government has stopped a clear message from going to the rest of the world that Britain will take action on climate change now.

“Last year Liberal Democrats successfully added an 80% emission reduction target to the Climate Change Act."

'The level of crime in this area is average'...

...so says a new Police website (well new to me) which maps crime across the country.

However, more worrying is that the site shows that the average number of crimes committed in the area has increased from 2301.7 to 2889.7 (25.5%) - based on the same three months last year. I wonder what the .7 crime is?

It also says that:

- The average number of burglaries in this area has increased from 196.7 to 311.7 (58.5%)

- The average number of vehicle crimes in this area has increased from 232 to 283.7 (22.3%)

- The average number of violent crimes in this area has increased from 473.7 to 578.7 (22.2%)

- The average number of anti-social behaviour incidents in this area has increased from 1734.7 to 2314.3 (33.4%)

But the good news is that:

The average number of robberies in this area has decreased from 42.3 to 32.3 (23.6%)

Some of these figures are pretty shocking - indeed I have to wonder if they are -at face value- correct? Burglaries up by 58% is a shocking statistic and if correct alone presents a massive increase in crime. We'd heard at various meetings that crime was up, however, this puts it in a worrying perspective.

The website can be found at http://maps.police.uk/view/sussex/

Waste and Minerals Core Strategy

The City Council is currently preparing a joint 'Waste and Minerals Core Strategy' with East Sussex County Council. Once adopted this strategy will provide the Councils' planning policy for development related to waste management and minerals production to 2026.

On 15^th October a six weeks public consultation on a 'Preferred Strategy' was agreed which sets out the Councils' preferred approaches, providing an opportunity for public comments. The intention is that, when complete, the Core Strategy will have considered the views of communities and other key stakeholders such as the waste and minerals industry and statutory environmental bodies. It is intended that this consultation will significantly assist with meeting this objective.

This consultation runs from Wednesday 21 October and will complete on 2 December 2009.

A consultation website has been established to allow documentation to be viewed and comments to be made on-line. The address of the consultation website is http://consult.eastsussex.gov.uk Documentation will also be available for inspection in Members Rooms, main city libraries and city direct centres from today.

During the consultation period there will be 2 exhibitions in the city as follows:

Brighton: Monday 16 November to Sunday 22 November at Jubilee Library, Jubilee Street, Brighton;

Hove: Monday 23 November to Sunday 29 November at Hove Town Hall, Norton Road, Hove. Please note, staff members will be present at this Hove exhibition on Wednesday 11 November between 10am and 8pm at Hove Town Hall, 1st Floor Landing area, Norton Road, Hove, BN3 3BQ to take questions.

Parking income surplus increases by well over a million last year

Calls for the council to bring the on street parking contract back in-house are likely to continue following the disclosure that the surplus generated by the scheme increased by a massive £1.2 million last year. The council's newly published statement of accounts for 2009/9 shows that the surplus generated rose from £6.2 million in 2007/08 to £7.4 million - this is a massive 16 per cent rise in just a year.

Last night at the Overview and Scrutiny Commission, I asked for the current figure (which would have been at September), and was told that the income from on street parking was already £100,000 in excess of this year's target, with the off street parking income £50,000 ahead of predictions.

Act now for the environment says Simon Hughes

The Liberal Democrat Shadow Energy and Climate Change Secretary, Simon Hughes MP calls upon the public to help to support the Liberal Democrat motion on 10:10 this Wednesday.

This Wednesday, the Liberal Democrats have secured a debate in the House of Commons on climate change. The motion calls for Parliament and the Government to sign up to the 10:10 campaign and commit to achieving a 10% reduction in emissions by the end of 2010.

You can get involved by asking your MP to vote in favour of this motion, if enough MPs join us then we can make a huge change to Britain's future. Political activism organisation 38 Degrees is working hard to make sure that MPs sign up to the 10:10 campaign and if you don't know your MP's contact details, you can quickly email them through their website - here.

We endorsed the 10:10 campaign at our recent federal conference and many Liberal Democrat run councils have shown the way. Now we are calling for the whole public sector to sign up. Once again, the Liberal Democrats are demonstrating leadership on the environment.

Commenting on Gordon Brown’s warning of climate catastrophe if there is no agreement at UN talks in Copenhagen in 50 days time, Simon Hughes said: “Gordon Brown’s warning today to the most heavily polluting nations would be more credible if Labour’s policies were consistent with the Prime Minister’s words.

“Expansion of the UK’s largest airport and continued plans for dirty coal power stations are not the policies of a government with the authority to lecture the world on averting the climate crisis.

“A vote in Parliament this Wednesday to back Liberal Democrat proposals to make 10% cuts in public sector emissions by 2010 will be a much stronger sign that Labour understands the urgency of the climate crisis.”

This is a big opportunity for Liberal Democrats and for the environment. Under this government there has been a shameful lack of action on climate change. Liberal Democrats have the power to make a real change. Leadership now is what Britain needs. So please take a moment to email your MP and call on them to support the environment this Wednesday.

Old Market planning application rejected - again

The Planning Committee have rejected the revised Old Market planning application - this time by an even greater margin. Only two Labour members were in favour with the rest against and two Greens abstaining wanting more financial information.

I take no pleasure in seeing the Old Market managers head up another blind alley in their bid for financial stability. This was not the way to do it, or the way to secure the building's future.

AIDS Memorial unveilied

The Brighton & Hove AIDS Memorial has been officially unveiled in New Steine Gardens, by David Furnish, Trustee of the Elton John Aids Foundation, the UK’s largest funder of HIV AIDS programmes.

The Memorial has been two years in the planning and construction stage.

In September 2007, Romany Mark Bruce was selected by public ballot, to be commissioned to create a memorial to those who have died and those whose lives have been affected by this condition. This memorial is only one of a few throughout the world and as a public commission paid for by the residents of Brighton & Hove, it will become a landmark in the city.

Brighton based artist, Romany Mark Bruce said:

“The sculpture depicts two intertwined figures, soaring upwards. In silhouette they appear in the shape of the red ribbon, the universal symbol of solidarity of people living with and affected by the condition.

“Most of those affected by HIV and AIDS in Brighton & Hove, have been so as the result of the union of two men, but the disease is not confined to gay men. The two figures are not identical; one is male and the other androgynous, representing all those affected. The figures do not touch, but would appear to from certain angles, symbolising the union of two people the disease has affected, but whose lives may not have been connected in any other way.”

The four-metre high, bronze sculpture is the culmination of hard work by LGBT charities, businesses and individuals led by an all-party group of local politicians including: Simon Burgess, prospective Labour candidate for Kemp Town, Lib Dem councillor Paul Elgood, Brian Oxley, Conservative councillor and Green Convenor councillor Bill Randell.

Romany Mark Bruce was born in Ireland in 1960. He arrived in England in 1978 to study law. After living in Dallas, Texas, he settled in London, moving to Brighton in 1989. He had his first exhibition in the Brighton Festival in 1992.

His sculptures, range from statuesque indoor torsos to heroic outdoor landmarks. More recently, he has also made a name for himself with his powerful paintings, many of which, like his sculptures are inspired by the human form.

His success as an accomplished artist has led him to give up a career as a solicitor. Collectors worldwide, from countries including: USA, Australia, Hong Kong, India, the Middle East, and all over Europe, have acquired his paintings and sculptures.

Picture credit Trevor Love, with thanks.

Planning officers support revised Old Market application

Planning Officers are making the 'minded to grant' and 'grant' recommendations for the new Old Market applications which are due to be heard next Wednesday. No great surprise there. You can see the ward councillor's objections in an earlier post on this blog.

Council looks at seven sites for new primary school

According to a Council press release, seven sites have been identified for a new primary school to ease the pressure on places in Brighton & Hove after an unprecedented influx of families with young children.

The Council aims to provide a minimum of 135 new primary school places which equates to four and half new classes by 2011.

The council will also consult with schools and their communities on proposals to expand Goldstone Primary School, Westdene Primary School and Queens Park Primary School.

The sites being considered for a new school are:

• Connaught Road, City College’s FE centre for Hove
• Holy Trinity Church, Blatchington Road
• Playing fields between Cardinal Newman School and BHASVIC
• Park depot adjacent to Hove Park
• Co-locating a school on the site of Hove Park school’s Nevill Road campus.
• Development site on the Brighton/Hove border
• Potential development site in central Hove

The council calculate that a new school will cost £7-£7.5 million, which does not include site acquisition costs. The park depot adjacent to Hove Park is the only option where the council already owns the land and where a new primary school could be built within the next four years.

Council acts to improve cycle racks

The council is to introduce five new cycle racks in the ward, following requests from residents. The racks will be similar to those introduced in Brunswick Square, which have been widely praised by residents. Residents have contacted the council to ask for help over problems such as bikes chained to railings or left blocking the highway. The council will be consulting on the following sites:

· Lansdowne Place at the junction of Western Road;

· Lansdowne Street at the junction of Western Road;

· Farm Road again at the junction of Western Road;

· Norfolk Square close to Dorchester Court;

· Norfolk Road close to Western Road.

Metrodeco fundraise for AIDS Memorial

I was pleased to pick up another fundraising cheque for the AIDS Memorial from the superb Metrodeco tea rooms. They have done some wonderful fundraising through a special event night and a raffle - well done and thank you.

Meet your Councillors on Saturday

If you have an issue to raise or a poblem tod iscuss, we are available tomorrow at 10am at the Cornerstone in Church Road. Please feel free to come along.

Nick Clegg offers 'real change' in conference speech

Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg has shunned talk of deals with other parties in a keynote conference speech and instead that he "wants to be prime minister."

Nick Clegg was bidding to reach out to disaffected Labour voters thinking of voting Tory.

In his speech he urged voters not to sleepwalk into a Tory government and opt for "real change" instead.

The speech was also watched by a group of Gurkhas, who received a round of applause after Mr Clegg said he was "honoured" they could be present.