Brighton and Hove City Council will seek to engage with Travellers on the same terms the rest of the community, a Green councillor Pete West said in Press Release issued 15 June 2011.
As part of its ‘firm but fair’ approach to unauthorised traveller sites, Brighton & Hove City Council plans to ask travelling communities entering the city to sign up to Good Neighbour Compacts. The council is in talks with Sussex Police about how the proposals can be implemented.
”The compact is one of the proposals contained in our review of the city’s Traveller Strategy,” said Cllr Pete West, Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability. “Compacts are already used widely in social housing and we would hope that most travellers will sign up.
“We are not expecting Compacts to solve all the problems but we believe they will help. They are a new approach to a problem that no other previous administration in this city - Tory or Labour - has been able to solve.
The search for a permanent site is also an urgent priority for the council. “We will consider sensible locations where travelling communities might be allowed to stay for short period of times,” said Cllr West. “This is a better alternative than the current cat and mouse game, which sees travellers moving from site to site, sometimes causing damage as they go.
Another proposal would see greater value for money protection given to the environmentally sensitive parks and open spaces, which have been damaged by travellers.
“We will, of course, consult the resident community and the travelling community before changes are made to the Travellers Strategy, which was introduced in 2008 by the then Tory administration,” added Cllr West.
Traveller numbers this summer are not unusually high, however there is a higher number of traveller children and this has made the need for careful and sensitive handling of unauthorised sites extremely important.
”We follow the procedures outlined in Government Guidance on Managing Unauthorised Camping published in 2004 and the Travellers Strategy,’ said Cllr West.
Partnership with the Police is central to this work. A joint visit is made to any new site within one working day of the site being established in line with police protocols, and health and welfare checks are carried out.
“We have a small Travellers Team, which is very hard-pressed in the summer months when traveller numbers rise. Government spending cuts make it impossible to increase the size of this team.
“Our aim is to ensure Gypsies and Travellers are treated with the same respect and consideration as any other community,” said Cllr West. “By the same token, we expect all communities nomadic or otherwise to respect our parks and open spaces and to treat other people with respect and dignity and not to engage in anti-social behaviour.
“Unfortunately, there are a minority of travellers who behave badly, as there are in all communities.
We will always use our legal powers and resources to tackle unacceptable behaviour. This may involve powers of reasonable persuasion and application to the magistrates’ court seeking eviction from council owned and privately owned land. We always support the police where they use their powers to deal with criminal and anti-social behaviour as part of our firm but fair approach.
”While I appreciate and sympathise with the concerns of many residents about the recent impact some unauthorised encampments have been having on parks, I wish to reassure them that the council is doing all it can within the bounds of its legal obligations, and our desire to be firm but fair,” said Cllr West.
“I am greatly concerned about the politicisation of the issue by some opponents which I fear risks stoking up prejudice and racial hatred, and would ask for calm and understanding from all.”
A spokesperson for Sussex Police added: “Sussex Police is committed to reducing any tensions between the settled and traveller communities, deal with any crime or anti social behaviour amongst all groups and, when requested, consider the emergency powers that exist to require people to leave unauthorised encampments.”
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Spanish Revolution protesters leave Old Steine camp, Brighton
9 June 2011. Protesters occupying the Old Steine in central Brighton agreed to quit their camp, according to Councillor Ben Duncan, Cabinet Member for Communities in Brighton and Hove City Council.
He said: "We respect the right to peaceful protest and will facilitate it where possible but we will take action where necessary to fulfil our duties as a council and these include ensuring public parks are protected for the whole community.
"The right to peaceful protest does not include the right to camp in public parks and we will uphold local bylaws to prevent this. We have accommodated the protesters' protest and allowed them to make their point and they have behaved well so far and we expect them to leave this Sunday. It's good news that they have promised to move on and I expect them to fulfil that promise."
The following pictures capture the spirit of the non-violent protest...
Click 'Read more' for more pics...
He said: "We respect the right to peaceful protest and will facilitate it where possible but we will take action where necessary to fulfil our duties as a council and these include ensuring public parks are protected for the whole community.
"The right to peaceful protest does not include the right to camp in public parks and we will uphold local bylaws to prevent this. We have accommodated the protesters' protest and allowed them to make their point and they have behaved well so far and we expect them to leave this Sunday. It's good news that they have promised to move on and I expect them to fulfil that promise."
The following pictures capture the spirit of the non-violent protest...
Monday, 20 June 2011
Recycle Week - Green councillor Pete West spends a day with refuse collectors and says more recycling of household waste is possible and will save landfill tax
June 17 2011. Ahead of National Recycle Week, which runs from June 20 to 26, Councillor Pete West, Brighton & Hove City Council's Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, accompanied refuse and recycling crews on their rounds to see collections at first hand. He said much more could be done toward recycling in Brighton and Hove.
He said: "For every tonne of waste that goes to landfill, the council has to pay £56 in Landfill Tax - that's council taxpayers' money which could be much better spent elsewhere."
"Many people are already recycling, but there is more that can be done - from going out with a refuse crew on their round earlier this month I know that materials that can be recycled are still being put out in refuse bins. There are lots of ways we can all make a difference and cut waste, whether it is by reusing items, for example, by giving them to a charity or community group which can make use of them, or recycling using the 'black box' doorstep recycling scheme, and recycling points around the city. The YMCA charity shop at the Hove Recycling Centre is proof that one person's rubbish is another person's treasure."
Central Sussex YMCA shop at Hove Recycling Centre is a charity shop putting tonnes of rubbish to good use - and raising thousands of pounds for local people at the same time. They supply recycled goods to Sussex Central YMCA shop at Brighton & Hove City Council's recycling centre off Old Shoreham Road in Hove is a treasure trove of goods - including the kitchen sink! Items which might otherwise have ended up being discarded as rubbish are donated for sale at the shop and a paint recycling scheme is about to be launched there.
The role of the shop which is run by Sussex Central YMCA, in association with the city council, is being highlighted as part of national Recycle Week which runs from June 20 to 26.
It is one of a variety of ways across Brighton & Hove in which residents are being encouraged by the city council to reuse and recycle as much waste as possible - to help the environment and cut costs. These include doorstep recycling collections; recycling banks across the city collecting everything from glass and cans to bras and toys; recycling centres; sales of subsidised home compost kits; and providing details of local charities and community groups which can reuse furniture, timber, bric-a-brac, paper and other unwanted goods.
All kinds of items which might otherwise have ended up being discarded as rubbish are donated for sale at the shop. Furniture, clocks, clothes, bicycles, and electrical goods, and bric-a-brac make up the bulk of its stock but quirky and unusual items also come its way - recent donations, for example, have included a Sphinx garden ornament which was so heavy it need four people to move it and was soon snapped up by a new owner; large plants which have outgrown their home; a sledge; ironing boards, and sinks.
A paint recycling scheme is also about to be launched at the shop, under which people can donate leftover unwanted tins of paint, to be used by local charities, community groups and people on low income free of charge. www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/paintreuse
For the YMCA the store, and their other high street shops, are a vital source of income which raise essential funds for the charity's work with children, young people and families in Brighton & Hove.www.hoveymca.org.uk
Recycling Factfile
For full details about recycling in Brighton & Hove and the range of materials which can be recycled visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/recycling
Around 30,000 tonnes of waste are recycled in Brighton & Hove every year from doorstep collections, recycling points and recycling centres - the equivalent in weight of 2,100 double decker buses. (This is out of a total of around 108,000 tonnes of waste generated in the city each year.)
Brighton & Hove City Council's recycling centre are operated on behalf of the council by Veolia Environmental Services. They are located off Old Shoreham Road, Hove, BN3 7AE, between Aldrington Avenue and Leighton Road, and off Wilson Avenue, Brighton, BN2 5PA, about half way up Wilson Avenue, on the eastern side.
A huge range of materials can be recycled at these sites, from cans, aerosols, and cooking oil to metal, car batteries, computers, TVs, textiles and shoes
Turning food scraps into compost is another way of cutting waste and a new video on the council's website www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/composting gives tips on home composting. Subsidised compost kits are available from the council.
Recycle Week www.recyclenow.com
He said: "For every tonne of waste that goes to landfill, the council has to pay £56 in Landfill Tax - that's council taxpayers' money which could be much better spent elsewhere."
"Many people are already recycling, but there is more that can be done - from going out with a refuse crew on their round earlier this month I know that materials that can be recycled are still being put out in refuse bins. There are lots of ways we can all make a difference and cut waste, whether it is by reusing items, for example, by giving them to a charity or community group which can make use of them, or recycling using the 'black box' doorstep recycling scheme, and recycling points around the city. The YMCA charity shop at the Hove Recycling Centre is proof that one person's rubbish is another person's treasure."
Central Sussex YMCA shop at Hove Recycling Centre is a charity shop putting tonnes of rubbish to good use - and raising thousands of pounds for local people at the same time. They supply recycled goods to Sussex Central YMCA shop at Brighton & Hove City Council's recycling centre off Old Shoreham Road in Hove is a treasure trove of goods - including the kitchen sink! Items which might otherwise have ended up being discarded as rubbish are donated for sale at the shop and a paint recycling scheme is about to be launched there.
The role of the shop which is run by Sussex Central YMCA, in association with the city council, is being highlighted as part of national Recycle Week which runs from June 20 to 26.
It is one of a variety of ways across Brighton & Hove in which residents are being encouraged by the city council to reuse and recycle as much waste as possible - to help the environment and cut costs. These include doorstep recycling collections; recycling banks across the city collecting everything from glass and cans to bras and toys; recycling centres; sales of subsidised home compost kits; and providing details of local charities and community groups which can reuse furniture, timber, bric-a-brac, paper and other unwanted goods.
All kinds of items which might otherwise have ended up being discarded as rubbish are donated for sale at the shop. Furniture, clocks, clothes, bicycles, and electrical goods, and bric-a-brac make up the bulk of its stock but quirky and unusual items also come its way - recent donations, for example, have included a Sphinx garden ornament which was so heavy it need four people to move it and was soon snapped up by a new owner; large plants which have outgrown their home; a sledge; ironing boards, and sinks.
A paint recycling scheme is also about to be launched at the shop, under which people can donate leftover unwanted tins of paint, to be used by local charities, community groups and people on low income free of charge. www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/paintreuse
For the YMCA the store, and their other high street shops, are a vital source of income which raise essential funds for the charity's work with children, young people and families in Brighton & Hove.www.hoveymca.org.uk
Recycling Factfile
For full details about recycling in Brighton & Hove and the range of materials which can be recycled visit www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/recycling
Around 30,000 tonnes of waste are recycled in Brighton & Hove every year from doorstep collections, recycling points and recycling centres - the equivalent in weight of 2,100 double decker buses. (This is out of a total of around 108,000 tonnes of waste generated in the city each year.)
Brighton & Hove City Council's recycling centre are operated on behalf of the council by Veolia Environmental Services. They are located off Old Shoreham Road, Hove, BN3 7AE, between Aldrington Avenue and Leighton Road, and off Wilson Avenue, Brighton, BN2 5PA, about half way up Wilson Avenue, on the eastern side.
A huge range of materials can be recycled at these sites, from cans, aerosols, and cooking oil to metal, car batteries, computers, TVs, textiles and shoes
Turning food scraps into compost is another way of cutting waste and a new video on the council's website www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/composting gives tips on home composting. Subsidised compost kits are available from the council.
Recycle Week www.recyclenow.com
Tuesday, 14 June 2011
Call for decriminalisation of drugs from Police Chief and Green MP in Brighton and Hove
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| Collection of Ecstacy (MDMA) tablets |
14 June 2011. A call for decriminalisation of personal drug use, and a health based approach to treatment, has been made Brighton's Green MP Caroline Lucas - and her call has been backed up by Brighton & Hove Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett.
Caroline Lucas said an evidence-based approach is needed to tackle the UK's drug crisis, reduce the number of drug-related deaths, and make our communities safer.
In a speech to NHS healthcare professionals in Brighton yesterday evening, Green Brighton Pavilion MP Caroline Lucas supported the findings of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, which earlier this month called for a major review of drugs policy.
Caroline said, "There is growing agreement across the scientific and political communities, in the police and the legal professions, that we need to move away from prohibition of use towards an evidence-based, public health approach to drug addiction.
"One of my top priorities as a local MP is to tackle Brighton and Hove's very sad reputation as the drugs death capital of the UK.
"In order to do that, we need to recognise the reality that the so-called ‘war on drugs' has failed - and start dealing with drugs differently.
"Here in this city, we understand more than most the consequences of a national drugs policy that has failed our citizens and our communities.
"Having seen the commitment locally to successful evidence-based treatment and support programmes, I think we are also well placed to start shaping an alternative approach - one that works."
Caroline, who is an active member of Parliament's All Party Group for Drug Policy Reform, is planning a high level roundtable in the city later this year, bringing together medical experts, and key local stakeholders, including the police and council representatives, to help develop an alternative approach.
Caroline believes that Brighton could set a positive example for other cities battling high levels of drug misuse by shaping a different approach which builds on successful initiatives that are already happening in the city, such as the highly successful RIOTT trial, which demonstrates that previously unresponsive patients can achieve major reductions in their use of street heroin.
In her calls for a potential decriminalisation of personal drug use and a health based approach to treatment, Caroline is joined by Brighton & Hove Chief Superintendent Graham Bartlett.
He commented, "My officers will continue to enforce the law as it stands. However, my personal view is that whilst production, supply and trafficking are and should remain crimes, the use of drugs is not well addressed through punitive measures.
"Providing people with treatment not only resolves their addiction - thereby minimising risk of overdose, drug related health issues, anti social behaviour and dependence on the state, for example - but cuts the cost to the community by reduced offending."
Caroline added, "We have some excellent practice in the city in dealing with drug addiction, both from the third section, and from interventions like Operation Reduction, run by the local police.
"Over the coming months, I want to work closely with key agencies, healthcare professionals and community groups to explore ways for us to make a change for the better. I want to hear from local people about whether the city's services are currently equipped to best reduce drug-related harms - and how they could be improved.
"One area I should like to explore is extending the provision of naloxone, used to counter the effects of heroin or morphine overdose, to all prisoners leaving prison with a history of addiction.
"Pilot programmes in Scotland and Wales are already showing positive results in terms of lives saved."
She has also called for an urgent review of the 1971 Misuse of Drugs Act, together with a cost benefit analysis to compare its effectiveness in reducing the societal, economic and health costs of drug misuse with an alternative approach based on treating drug addiction as a health issue, not a criminal one.
"In this age of austerity, when we are told that every penny of public spending must be justified, nobody is checking whether the war on drugs is value for money or money and effort wasted", Lucas will say.
"I don't think it will be easy.
"A new approach, based on treating drug addiction as a health issue not a criminal one, will represent a significant shift in thinking - and any changes should be brought in slowly and carefully.
"But in the long term, a more evidence-based drugs policy will help us to prevent crime, and protect our communities from the worst effects of drug abuse."
Monday, 13 June 2011
Solar panels to save £23k on council electricity bill as Brighton and Hove's Green-led council pledges to 'lead by example'
The Green administration on Brighton & Hove City Council has given the go-ahead for roof solar panels on prominent buildings in the city.
Lead councillors supported the solar power scheme at a meeting of the new council cabinet last week.
The council says it hopes to finance the scheme by earning money from the national grid.
The council could take between £40K and £160k depending on sunshine, meaning the initiative could save £23k in the council's electricity bill.
Council officers said they had explored sites across the city to find the best places for solar-powered generators.
It has listed 23 sites as potentially profitable - with 17 locations for photovoltaic (PV) solar panels.
The council wants the panels to be in place by April 2012 when rules mean solar energy may become less profitable.
Currently surplus electricity fed in to the national grid is worth 41p a kilowatt hour.
Councillor Jason Kitcat, the council's cabinet member for finance, said: "I'm delighted that one of the new administration's first decisions will be our city's largest ever roll out of solar panels.
"With this project the council will generate new funds to help offset government cuts to our budget while also reducing our carbon footprint.
"We would encourage everyone in the city to consider whether they too could use renewables to save money and reduce emissions.
"Brighton and Hove can be a hub for green industries and we plan to lead by example."
For more information please contact the Brighton & Hove Green Party office on 01273 766 670.
12 June 2011
Friday, 10 June 2011
Green Council leader Bill Randall pledges to make Brighton and Hove into UK's "greenest city"
10 June 2011. Brighton & Hove will become the UK’s greenest city, council leader Bill Randall said at a cabinet meeting last night.
Councillor Randall said: “We believe we have captured that spirit to offer the city a fresh start through policies fuelled by fairness and driven by a desire to produce the UK's greenest city and narrow the gap between rich and poor. We look forward to working with residents, public and private sector partners to achieve our aims."
In his first major speech since taking control of the council, Cllr Randall set out three key aims for the next four years.
• Making the city into the UK's most sustainable, "greenest" city
• Tackling inequality and wage gap
• Involving residents, community and voluntary organisations in the council’s work.
He set out a plan to reduce the city’s eco footprint and set up a ‘biosphere reserve’ with neighbouring authorities – both plans backed by the business community and other public bodies.
Initiatives include local carbon budgets, which run alongside financial budgets, as well as plans to fit solar panels on schools and other public buildings to take advantage of feed-in tariffs and increase the use of renewable energy.
While admitting that tackling equality will not be easy because of the public spending cuts, he said the first priority will be to protect services for children, vulnerable adults and those on low incomes
Other initiatives include introducing a ‘living wage’ and ensuring that the highest paid council officer earns no more than 10 times the lowest paid officer.
Involving communities is a high priority with plans being piloted to introduce neighbourhood councils with their own budgets and working closely with the city’s vibrant third sector and trade unions.
Mr Randall said the administration takes over in hard times but that there is a new spirit in the city.
Councillor Randall said: “We believe we have captured that spirit to offer the city a fresh start through policies fuelled by fairness and driven by a desire to produce the UK's greenest city and narrow the gap between rich and poor. We look forward to working with residents, public and private sector partners to achieve our aims."
In his first major speech since taking control of the council, Cllr Randall set out three key aims for the next four years.
• Making the city into the UK's most sustainable, "greenest" city
• Tackling inequality and wage gap
• Involving residents, community and voluntary organisations in the council’s work.
He set out a plan to reduce the city’s eco footprint and set up a ‘biosphere reserve’ with neighbouring authorities – both plans backed by the business community and other public bodies.
Initiatives include local carbon budgets, which run alongside financial budgets, as well as plans to fit solar panels on schools and other public buildings to take advantage of feed-in tariffs and increase the use of renewable energy.
While admitting that tackling equality will not be easy because of the public spending cuts, he said the first priority will be to protect services for children, vulnerable adults and those on low incomes
Other initiatives include introducing a ‘living wage’ and ensuring that the highest paid council officer earns no more than 10 times the lowest paid officer.
Involving communities is a high priority with plans being piloted to introduce neighbourhood councils with their own budgets and working closely with the city’s vibrant third sector and trade unions.
Mr Randall said the administration takes over in hard times but that there is a new spirit in the city.
Patcham Place: Long Lease Sale is best option for preserving the C16 building, says Green cabinet member for finance Councillor Jason Kitcat
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| Patcham Place Old London Road (Wikipedia) |
Councillor Jason Kitcat, cabinet member for finance and central services, said: "We think this is the best option for Patcham Place as the council does not have the significant investment needed to bring the historic building back into use.
“Patcham Place is part of Brighton’s history and we’ve been working closely with the planning team on a brief that will ensure the building will be renovated sensitively. The green spaces around Patcham Place will remain in council control for public use.”
Patcham Place was once owned by Anthony Stapley, one of the signatories of King Charles I’s death warrant. Also included on the 1.7 acre site is a Grade II stable block, currently used as a parks depot.
A council spokesperson said: "The council-owned Patcham Place is being marketed as part of the council’s asset management process as it has been declared surplus to requirements. The capital raised from the disposal will be re-invested in the council’s capital and value for money programmes, for the benefit of residents."
"Once marketed the council will evaluate the bids and bring back a further report for the cabinet to make a decision," the spokesperson added.
Patcham Place was occupied by the Youth Hostel Association for nearly 70 years until October 2007. Since then the council has investigated a number of options for the building.
Patcham Place was one of two buildings shortlisted by the South Downs National Park for its headquarters but the new authority chose a location more central to the national park.
The council also looked at the possibility of relocating some of its services there. However, the building was not suitable and the council did not have sufficient funds to refurbish the building.
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