Neighbourhood Action
Stepped in to chair a meeting of the QPCV Neighbourhood Action Plan Forum tonight, this is a forum for the neighbourhood renewal area taking in parts of East Brighton, Queens Park and Hanover and Elm Grove wards. The meeting heard from a representative of the Children and Young People's Trust Youth Service, the new Police Community Support Officer for Craven Vale, and one of the Drug and Alcohol Action Team. With a packed agenda plus time for those present to contribute toward the NAP for the next twelve months, there was much to discuss. The Trust For Developing Communities should be applauded for their work in this Forum. I'm keen that Craven Vale residents have their say in the Forum and that organisations working with it meet the priorities of those living on the estate.
East Brighton News online
As promised in an earlier blog entry, I've now uploaded copies of East Brighton News to this site. This is the regular council newsletter that Councillor Gill Mitchell, Councillor Craig Turton and I circulate to over five and a half thousand households in our ward, keeping them up to date with developments in their area and helping them to keep in touch with us.
The three issues for this year are on the page I have created which you can access by following the link on the right or by clicking here, alternatively you can view each issue by following the links below. Each will take a couple of minutes to download, but hopefully it is worth the wait!
Fireworks
For many people this weekend will involve some ind of fireworks display, either at home or a friends, or at an organised display such as those put on by the many Bonfire Societies at Lewes. For me November 5th was always a big night when I was young, with friends round to celebrate my mum's birthday and fireworks in the front garden.
Fireworks have always been a cause for concern though, I have met people who have been horribly injured by fireworks, and when I worked for the police I took many calls from people disturbed or frightened by fireworks being thrown in the street. Though the restrictions on the sale of fireworks have been tightened, they are available in many more outlets than in the past, and the size and power of some of them has increased greatly. For several weeks now I have heard very loud bangs until the early hours of the morning, not from family or organised displays but from fireworks being used irresponsibly.
Fireworks are a great tradition, and are an important part of cultural and religious celebration in festivals such as Diwali, and by the large Chinese community in the city. Should fireworks be banned except in professionally organised displays, or is that going too far? I'd be interested to hear your views. If you know of fireworks being sold illegally, either privately or to under age youths, then contact the police on 0845 607099 or Trading Standards
East Brighton round-up
This morning I met with my two ward colleagues Councillor Craig Turton and Councillor Gill Mitchell at East Brighton Park to catch up on a few local issues, including the roll-out of the new parking measures in Kemp Town and some of the topics raised in the many responses from our latest ward newsletter.
Craig then headed off to the Guinness Trust properties on Whitehawk Road to talk about street lighting with local residents, whilst this afternoon Gill and I will be meeting community group leaders and representatives from across the city to discuss how to make Brighton and Hove more inclusive.
Looking up at the Bristol Estate
I've just got back from watching, with ward colleague Gill Mitchell, a fireworks display and party at the Bristol Estate community room off Donald Hall Road, which followed a meeting of residents on how to continue the progress that has been made using Neighbourhood Renewal Funding.
When I moved in just around the corner ten years ago, Donald Hall Road was not the happiest place in the city, with crime and anti-social behaviour a real problem, and fires in bin storage areas under the blocks a regular occurrence. Now, in an independent survey by local community workers, a large majority of residents feel safer on the estate and positive about the future. A gardening club is up and running, the estate now has a website, there is a regular fruit and veg stall, and there are plans to lease some of the old bin, storage and drying areas to artists for use as workshop space. It's hard to think of any part of the city that has such spectacular views as this area behind the county hospital, so artists will have a lot to inspire them.
The estate celebrates its' fiftieth birthday next year, so much of what has improved on the estate is down to the residents, I look forward to celebrating with them.
Success in Spaces For Sport bid at the Crew Club
Later today I will be joining my colleague Councillor Craig Turton, Albion manager Dean Wilkins and some of the Albion squad at an event to mark the award of £500,000 from the Barclays "Spaces For Sport" fund to create a new sports facility at the Crew Club in Whitehawk.
Not only will this money provide a fantastic new sports facility for East Brighton, £5,000 will also be given to provide sports equipment, and a further £45,000 will help ensure that the facility is sustainable.
The success of this bid, put together by the city council, the Crew Club and the Albion, gives a tremendous boost to sport, healthier lifestyles and community development in the area. It's really great news and hopefully some of the Albion stars of the future will be trained at this new facility once open.
A cleaner Marine Square
Proposals for communal bins in Marine Square and part of Marine Parade were approved at tonight's Environment Committee following overwhelming suppot from local residets. There has been thorough consultation with people living in this historic part of the seafront, with over 90% of those responding saying they wanted the communal bins. Siting of the bins has been planned along with the residents so that parking is not affected. My ward colleague Councillor Gill Mitchell has put in a great deal of work on this which, if the results of introducing communal bins elsewhere in the city are repeated, will lead to a much cleaner Marine Square.
Parking in Bristol Gardens/Marlow & Henley Road areas
Over the past six months or so there have been three consultations with residents in the Bristol Gardens/Prince Regents Close/Princes Terrace/Bennet Road/Rugby Place area, the Peel Road/Marlow Road/Henley Road/Reading Road area and parts of Maresfield Road and Whitehawk Road about whether to extend the Area H parking zone to include them.
In all three consultations, a majority of residents have said they do not wish to have controlled parking in their areas. However, in a few of the roads there was a small majority in favour, and there are certainly some residents who are very keen on being included. In the most recent consultation, council officers warned residents that their areas were likely to suffer from "displacement" of parking once the revised area H (for hospital) parking scheme takes effect in a few weeks time. This has occurred elsewhere where new schemes have been introduced.
I was very keen, when officers consulted with myself and ward colleagues Councillor Gill Mitchell and Councillor Craig Turton, that these areas should be consulted and the consequences of pay and display parking being brough in to area H be explained. Residents have, by 57% to 43% vote, asked not to have controlled resident permit and pay & display parking in their area. The Evironment Committee agreed to accept that result, and speaking at the committee I thanked officers for their work in seeking resident's views. I added that I was sure the numbers of those in favour would grow once the are H changes "go live" and that if in a position to we would seek a review at a point when that is possible.
Remembrance at Whitehawk Primary
This morning I attended, along with the Mayor, representatives of the Royal British Legion, local clergy, parents, staff and pupils, a Remembrance event at Whitehawk Primary School. It was quite moving to see an honour guard made up of former servicemen and some of the older pupils from the school bearing regimental and other standards, and some of the younger children laying wreaths they had made themselved. As with so many ceremonies this weekend, a minute's silence was observed as we thought of those men and women in conflicts past and present who have given up their lives or suffered injuries in the cause of defending this country.
Our award winning website
The Councillors Web pages won a Special Award at the Brighton and Hove Web Awards for 2006 last week. The site had been nominated in the category of Best Personal Site & Blogs, having been shortlisted in a group of 5 from 18 nominations. It won in the category of Brighton Farm: the site we wished we built, which is awarded by a group of web page designers. I and other colleagues have put in quite a lot of effort and time into developing the site, which is an increasingly important way of communicating with the people we represent.
Feedback from residents
The response to the residents' survey in our current councillors' newsletter has been remarkable, I am very grateful to those from across Whitehawk, Kemp Town, Manor Farm, the Bristol Estate and Craven Vale for taking the time and trouble to return it. We asked for feedback on bus services, crime, refuse and recycling and many comments relate to those topics. Other subjects that come up are travellers, parking, graffiti and dog fouling. We are still delivering the newsletter in Kemp Town and Manor Farm so expect more replies in the days to come.
I and my two ward colleagues Councillor Gill Mitchell and Councillor Craig Turton will respond to as many as we can over the coming weeks.
Carers in East Brighton
Spent a very interesting morning at The Bridge centre in Mousecoomb today at a meeting of the steering group for carers in East Brighton, looking at ways to extend the work of helping carers in the east of the city - where there are more than in any other part of Brighton & Hove.
The group brings together people from the Carer's Centre, the eb4U Health For All team, carers and other professionals from the city council and elsewhere. Today we discussed a range of work including how to identify "hidden" carers, whether young people, adults or older people, that the system has not so far identified. This could be through raising awareness, building links with and conducting training in schools, GP surgeries, pharmacies, black and minority ethnic community groups, LGBT groups, voluntary and professional support organisations and elsewhere.
Supporting carers, who have such a vital role in our society through the unpaid and often unrecognised work that they do with friends, family members or neighbours, is something I am very committed to in both my role as a local councillor and through my position as Deputy Chair of the Adult Social Care & Health Committee.
Showcase
On Wednesday night I went along to the AGM of Southawk Tenants Association, a relatively small group but very professional at getting problems in their area resolved through working with council officers and other agencies.
After Housing Committee yesterday afternoon I went along to the annual Crew Club Showcase at the Brighton Centre's East Wing, where members of the Club performed songs and sketches, and there was a chance to hear about the football team's performance in the annual youth world cup. A video presentation showed how far the club has come since it was founded in 1999, culminating in the new £1.5 million building that will be completed by January, and the £500,000 multi-use games area and new sports pitches that will provide East Brighton with state of the art facilities by next May.
It's always a fun event that the young people at the Club put a lot of effort into, and congratulations to all of the Club staff, parents and others who worked so hard at organising the event and the buffet.
24 hour licensing
Some interesting facts and figures on the new alcohol licensing laws in Brighton and Hove from Sussex Police:
There are only 11 pubs, bars and nightclubs in the city - out of a total of more than 1,300 - which have 24 hour licences. Many of these do not operate 24 hours a day but hold the licence so they have the option of opening longer for special occasions. In addition, 15 supermarkets and 51 hotels have 24 licences, though in hotels that is for guests only. Two 24 hour applications have been turned down.
Police say that working with the city council's trading standards team, the introduction of the new regulations "has been a great success". They have worked together to target sales of alcohol to under-age youths, and on-the-spot penalties have been handed out to those drunk and causing a disturbance. The "Best Bar None" award scheme has helped to promote good practice amongst pubs and clubs.
There is a concentration of premises selling alcohol around Eastern Road and Kemp Town in my ward, most of them responsibly, but I and my ward colleagues are keeping a close eye on the anti-social behaviour in the area and will press for the measures available uner the new regulations to be used where necessary.
New pay and display/residents parking near the hospital
It is just over a week since the new Area H parking scheme came into effect, indeed I was one of the first to use the pay and display meters on a visit to the hospital last Monday. As mentioned in an earlier blog entry, I am concerned about the knock-on effect ("displacement") in areas around Bristol Gardens and The Broadway and out to Wilson Avenue, and this morning I was out in that area to take a look for myself.
So far I have had some positive feedback on the effects of the changes from both residents and visitors, but would welcome further feedback, particularly from around Paston Place, Sudeley Terrace and Eastern Road.
Safe As Houses
I've been asked to support a petition backing the Safe As Houses domestic violence project in East Brighton, which has funding from eb4U until April of next year. I'm more than happy to do so and have set up a page on this website where you can sign the petition yourself.Domestic violence ruins the lives of so many families, and in my previous job I came into contact with many victims of abuse, not just physical but emotional, financial and psychological. As Chair of the Whitehawk Crime Prevention Forum I have made it one of the priorities we want to tackle.
Flytipping cleared
I am very grateful to council staff for clearing a significant amount of builders rubble which was flytipped in several locations on land south of the racecourse grandstand a few weeks ago. I'm also grateful to a local resident and dog walker who met up with the council team yesterday morning to locate the final pile of rubble which was obscured by some bushes. Those who flytip should be aware that their thoughtless actions have injured at least one dog who ran into it, not to mention the costs we all have to bear as a result in clearing it. I hope that anyone caught flytipping in this area or elsewhere by the council will be prosecuted.
Makeover for high rise blocks
More good news for north Whitehawk, the high rise "bird" blocks at the top of Whitehawk (Kingfisher, Heron, Swallow, Falcon and Kestrel Courts) are finally getting the redecoration that their hallways, landings and stairwells so badly need, with the works starting next week. Even better, the long-defunct door entry system in Kingfisher Court is also being replaced. My ward colleague Councillor Gill Mitchell has put in a great deal of work to get these redecorations and repair done, and we are looking forward to the tenant's monthly meeting tonight to share the good news.
Crime Prevention Forum
Chaired another very well attended Crime Prevention Forum this morning, with residents, police, youth workers and others in attendance. There was much discussion on how to tackle problems with groups of youths aged 8-14 causing problems with the local bus service, criminal damage and racial harrassment. Many good ideas were put together in some positive action plans which will hopefully identify and deal with what I believe are a relatively small number of youths involved.
WASP in the Kitchen!
I was sorry to have missed last night's event celebrating the completion of "WASP in the Kitchen", a collection of healthy recipes chosen and illustrated by children from the Whitehawk After School Project.
Copies of the recipe book would make a great stocking filler for children, and can be obtained from WASP for £5 each, which goes toward continuing funding for WASP, e-mail wasp@impact-initiatives.org.uk or call 01273 674427 to get your copy.