Labour councillors have criticised the Green-led council for delays to road safety measures and park and ride.
They plan to ask a series of questions about both topics, as well as on public toilet closures and the handling of the bikeshare scheme, at a meeting on Tuesday (15 November).
Green councillors are expected to give their responses at the meeting on Tuesday at Hove Town Hall.
Labour said: “At Tuesday’s meeting of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee, Labour councillors will be raising serious questions about how and why certain council projects and decisions have been rushed through without sufficient democratic oversight, such as the closure of public toilets and the pause to the bikeshare scheme, while others that councillors agreed to over a year ago have made no visible progress at all, such as park and ride.
“Labour is concerned with the pattern of the Green administration rushing things through without offering timely notification to opposition councillors in order to make representations on behalf of their ward residents.
“With the pausing of the BTN Bikeshare scheme, this decision was not brought before committee, and councillors were only given eight minutes’ notice before the council issued a press release on it.
“With the temporary closure of public toilets, a report is only now coming to committee after the decision was made.
“Meanwhile, decisions that opposition councillors have won support for are seemingly not being implemented.
“For example, at the upcoming committee meeting, Labour will be demanding an update on progress on the park and ride feasibility study that we called for and was promised over a year ago.
“Labour called for the development and publication of a citywide 20-minute neighbourhoods strategy to identify the most appropriate sites many months ago.
“And while there is still no strategy forthcoming, the Green administration rushed to implement an LTN (low traffic neighbourhood) pilot scheme in Hanover.
“Labour called for a road danger reduction strategy almost two years ago and we have supported the many residents who have come to committee and requested speed reduction measures and crossings in their communities.
“But again, we are still waiting for any of these reports to materialise at committee. Nothing should be more important than protecting our city’s residents on our roads.
“The Labour group will be asking challenging questions at committee on Tuesday.”
Councillor Gary Wilkinson, one of two members who speak for the party on environment, transport and sustainability, said: “A worrying pattern has emerged in recent months.
“We truly hope it is not the case that the minority Green administration is deliberately dragging its heels on initiatives that have come from opposition councillors and residents, kicking projects they don’t like into the long grass until the clock runs out to election time, while rushing through their own controversial decisions without the chance for opposition scrutiny in a ‘no overall control’ council.”
Councillor Nancy Platts, who also speaks for Labour on environment, transport and sustainability, said: “A number of residents’ groups have taken the time and trouble to come to (committee meetings) to express their concerns about road safety, including requests for speed reduction and crossings.
“The Labour group have supported all of these requests by asking for reports so that progress can be made.
“Coming to committee is an essential part of the democratic process to ensure local people’s voices are heard.
“Our communities need to be listened to but the vague response we have received to date demonstrate a lack of commitment and suggests that the administration do not respect the requests that are being made by local people. Some people just feel ignored.”
The Labour group have finally woken up to what most of us residents has realised for some time, ‘Greens’ will do what ever THEY want.
I am afraid the greens believe in their right to ignore democratic process and indulge their every whim. And when the money runs out they deflect by blaming anyone handy.
Hopefully they will be ousted next time round.
Genuinely can’t wait for the greens to be kicked out.
This city needed a park and ride 10 years ago. It has never needed a LTN in Hanover which No1 has requested bar a handful of green supporters. Labor need to wake up and work with conservative councillors to start blocking every single green party initiative until the next election. Not a single thing the green party have done in the past 3 years has been remotely environmentally friendly.
What a mess.
Brighton and Hove Buses put in place an experimental Park and Ride scheme based on the Football system at Mill Lane, they offered to man and run it with a contribution from BHCC of 100K and the council to apply for the various RTO’s.
The 100K could have come from the various transport budgets the council has been awarded or from the 27million parking profit it made.
The excuse made by the council was they needed documentation from ESCC Highways to close roads yet were able to close any it chose for cycle lanes, school roads, closures for many events, other roads without any trouble at all.
A councillor is quoted as saying,
Some opponents believed it would actually lead to more people to using their cars or it would encourage people to use the park and ride instead of local bus services.
”And while there is still no strategy forthcoming, the Green administration rushed to implement an LTN (low traffic neighbourhood) pilot scheme in Hanover”. – probably the most interesting quote of the entire piece. Have Labour finally realised that the LTN is utterly pointless and are about to oppose it. Would be a step in the right direction for the local party and a vote winner in Hanover.
The Greens are not now and never have been willing to implement a park-and-ride scheme. The only traffic reduction measures that they are interested in is removal of all cars, completely. They don’t care for democracy or anything other than their own tedious dogma.
Roll on the next election when we can at least have a chance of getting rid of them.
BTW: Labour are no better having handed them control of the council in the first place.