Brighton's Lewes Road Corridor Green transport project given the go ahead with £4m of central government funding

Cllr Davey leading cycle campaign Feb 2011

5 July 2011. Brighton's Lewes Road Corridor project secured £4m funding from the Department for Transport's Local Sustainable Transport Fund, it was announced today.

The Brighton project was one of 39 sustainable transport schemes across England that were given the go ahead as part of a £155 million Government investment aimed at boosting economic growth and reducing carbon emissions.

Cabinet member for transport in Brighton and Hove City Council, Green councillor Ian Davey, expressed joy at the news. He said the scheme had been suggested by Greens during the previous Tory administration, and it was good news it was won under the new Green administration: “One of our key aims is to give the city the infrastructure it needs to be open for business. A crucial part of that is sustainable transport, enabling people and goods to move around without spoiling our streets or the air we breathe.

“This is a great opportunity for the council to work with residents and business to alleviate some of the transport problems in the area, particularly poor air quality caused by congestion.”

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesperson said: “It’s part of our ambition to make the city one of the greenest in the UK. Some 66 councils bid for a pot of £155m the government made available. 37 authorities were successful."

With external partnership and council funds, plus support from the local community, the project will be worth approximately £6 million over four years. Key partners in the bid include Southern Rail, Brighton & Hove Buses, Sussex and Brighton Universities, the Primary Care Trust, and the Engineering and Physical Research Council. 

"It will be used to help local people make more eco-friendly transport plans for themselves. Physical alterations to the road will include upgrades to public transport infrastructure, cycling improvements, traffic signal upgrades, pedestrian improvements and improved links to the new South Downs National Park.

An exact timescale for the project has yet to be fixed, but work should start this year. 

The judging panel included buses and transport expert Tony Depledge, Ian Drummond from local government body ADEPT, Stephen Joseph from Campaign for Better Transport, Adam Marshall from the British Chambers of Commerce, Lynn Sloman from Transport for Quality of Life.

Brighton Pavilion's Green MP Caroline Lucas said the news was "fantastic" and a "step in the right direction".

39 projects won funding as part of the first allocation from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. They cover eight regions and a total of 37 local authorities, with many more as partners. All have been judged to be effective against the fund’s two key objectives of creating growth and cutting carbon.

The successful schemes also include a variety of measures such as smart ticketing, the promotion of infrastructure for electric vehicles, bus and rail improvement measures, cycling and walking and are designed to link together to create a sustainable transport package that delivers economic growth.

Transport Minister Norman Baker said: “I am delighted to be able to fund these excellent projects.

“All the winning schemes have one thing in common – they will help build strong local economies while addressing the urgent challenge of climate change.

“We have empowered local authorities to create packages of sustainable initiatives that are tailored for their local areas, and this is only the beginning – even more funding will be announced next summer following a second round of bids.”

For details of the Brighton and Hove's bid for DfT funds, click here
http://russellhoneyman.blogspot.com/2011/05/brightons-lewes-road-63m-sustainable.html

More on this story from the DfT - http://www.dft.gov.uk/news/press-releases/dft-press-20110705

Brighton & Hove City Council's Green leader calls for economic summit to create new, low carbon economy

5 July 2011. Brighton & Hove City Council Leader Bill Randall today called for a summit with the city’s business leaders to develop a new economic strategy for the city.

Cllr Randall is also leader of the Green group of councillors. He said: “We are working on a programme of initiatives to improve the local economy and we want to work with the city’s business leaders to strengthen our city economic strategy.

“Not only is the existing economic strategy out of date but new threats and opportunities have presented themselves.

“This summit will take into account the global recession and the massive public spending cuts we face as we look forward to the economic recovery and to safeguard our long term success.

Cllr Randall intends to broker a city-wide consensus to kick-start the council’s priorities which include making Brighton and Hove the UK ’s greenest city through sustainable economic development.

The strategy will create jobs by attracting new businesses as well as retaining and growing those already in the city. This will help forge economic recovery and help the city to make the transition to a thriving low carbon economy, attracting investment and enabling business to compete in the burgeoning climate change sector.

Cllr Randall's comments follow the State of the City report, which found the city had a strong economy that is buoyed by a healthy entrepreneurial spirit and a high number of businesses per person.

The report revealed that significant numbers of private sector jobs are being created and there is also a thriving local and organic food sector. The economy is also boosted by eight million visitors each year.

An HSBC report recently described Brighton & Hove as the 'capital of the UK 's rebellious alternative economy' and one of the seven ‘super cities that’ will lead the UK out of the recession.

The success of the city's creative industries and digital sector has contributed to the city taking this title and the role of the two universities has meant a constant supply of well-educated residents.

Cllr Randall said: “We want to galvanise the city to showcase what we have to offer, working towards development certainty and creating investment confidence.

“We aim to promote the theme of a green & low carbon city as part of the drive to make the city the UK ’s greenest.”


Cllr Randall became leader of the council when Greens became the largest group in the council after local elections in May this year.

Business Pofile
The council is committed to supporting the city’s 13,400 small businesses, of which 86 per cent employ fewer than 10 people, while responding to concerns about the impact of multinationals
Two major developments in the city include American Express’ European Headquarters and the Brighton & Hove Community Stadium – both of which will provide huge boosts to the city’s economy
The council’s Local Employment Scheme aims to increase employment and training opportunities for local people who want to work in the construction industry. It also provides support to local building firms in order to secure contracts on large developments, and to assist developers and contractors with their workforce needs.

Green MP says Government education plans will "make higher education an unaffordable luxury"

28 June 2011. Commenting on the proposals set out in the Government’s White Paper on Higher Education, Caroline Lucas, Brighton Pavilion’s Green MP, said:

“The Coalition’s reckless determination to marketise higher education and increase competition poses a serious risk to future generations of students hoping to attend our city’s universities. Just providing prospective students with more information about standards in universities will not change the fact that, for many, £9,000 per year in fees will make higher education an unaffordable luxury.

“And the idea that universities will be ranked according to graduate employment rates and salaries completely ignores the reality that many graduates take up worthwhile jobs which are either voluntary or low paid.”

Save Saltdean Lido - call by Green Councillor Geoffrey Bowden

29th June 2011. A call to secure the future of Saltdean Lido has been made by Brighton & Hove City Council's Green-led administration.

The pledge was made by Councillor Geoffrey Bowden in response to residents' concerns about the future of the iconic Grade 2 listed pool.

Residents have complained about the state of building's fabric and what they claim is the pool's sporadic opening. They are urging the council to take action taken against the current leaseholder.

The council says it has already served notices on the leaseholder and is in discussion with him about works needed to comply with the notices. The council favours continuing negotiation as a means of ensuring the building is maintained and the pool regularly opened.

The authority says the Lido is an important asset to the local community and the city as a whole.

Councillor Bowden, cabinet member for culture, recreation and tourism, said he shared the residents' view that the Lido must be saved.

"The council shares everyone's passion for the Lido," said Councillor Bowden. "The argument is not about whether we save it – we all agree that we must. The debate is about how best to do it.

"Going through the courts will be expensive, slow and, ultimately, may not work.

"The situation is very complex and we have a duty to be legally fair to everyone, including the current leaseholder. However, we are determined to work with all those involved to protect and enhance the Lido for the future."

That's not cricket! Green council shows it means to be firm as well as fair with unauthorised Traveller camps

1 July 2011. On Tuesday 29 June, council officers and police removed two groups of Travellers who had recently camped in parks in Brighton and Hove.

Councillor Pete West, Cabinet Member for Environment and Sustainability, said: "Our aim is to ensure Gypsies and Travellers are treated with the same respect and consideration as any other community."

"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," Cllr West added.

The two Traveller groups had recently set up unauthorised encampments in Greenleas Park in Hangleton and Horsdean Recreation Ground in Patcham.

A group of Irish Travellers had moved nine trailers into Greenleas Park on Saturday. Following a visit from council and police officers on Monday, the Council made a request to Sussex Police to use their powers under the Criminal Justice Act to direct them to Horsdean Traveller Transit Site where enough space is available to accommodate the six families.

A similar request was made to evict a second group of Irish travellers from the frequently used cricket pitch at Horsdean Recreational Ground, Patcham.

A council spokesperson said: "This group of Travellers had damaged the two wickets, putting the three matches planned for this week in jeopardy."

Councillor Pete West said: "We will continue to take a firm but fair approach to travellers arriving in the city and this includes taking swift action when they park in unsuitable locations or engage in anti-social manner. We will always use our legal powers and resources to tackle unacceptable behaviour in an appropriate and proportionate way."

The council is also applying for a possession order to move Travellers from Ladies Mile Open Space. Following visits from the Traveller liaison team and the Traveller education service, and completion of welfare checks, the council has decided to seek an Order for Possession of this land.  The hearing will take place on 1 July 2011.

Green councillors seek to give Gypsies and Travellers same respect and consideration as any other community, in return for "Good Neighbour Compacts"

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.”

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...

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