A champion of the seafront has raised concerns that a new group being set up by Brighton and Hove City Council has set the bar too high.
Derek Wright has been one of the mainstays of the Save Madeira Terraces campaign and has set up several Facebook groups to keep people informed about developments along the seafront, including Black Rock and Valley Gardens.
He spoke out as the council started recruiting people for its independent Seafront Development Board to “shape a vision and encourage investment”.
The board is chaired by the former Labour council leader Steve Bassam – now Lord Bassam of Brighton. Six years ago, he chaired a parliamentary select committee on the future of seaside towns.
Mr Wright was concerned that the recruitment process focused on business expertise, having an interest in the seafront through owning an “asset”, expertise in urban design or another relevant specialism and representing interest groups.
A council job description said that board members would need to commit to a year, attend up to four meetings a year, be able to read the relevant background material, attend events, site visits and openings.
Mr Wright said: “They have set the bar too high, asking for CVs and qualifications, meaning only professionals can apply.
“Although it mentions all backgrounds can apply, there is no specific mention of residents, community groups or users of the seafront are welcome.
“Look at the results of the work of the professionals’ Black Rock.”
Although the board was publicised on Facebook, Mr Wright could only find the recruitment details through the professional networking site LinkedIn.
After raising his concerns on various community groups, Mr Wright felt encouraged to apply even though he initially felt that he did not meet the criteria.
Lord Bassam said: “We absolutely encourage any resident who is interested in becoming a member of the seafront board to apply – and actively want people with different experiences and from different backgrounds.
“The membership of the board will be made up of residents and businesses who have a passion and interest in bringing our seafront back to life with thriving businesses, restored historic features and welcoming spaces people can enjoy all year round.
“Membership of the board, though, is just one way people can get involved and a key role of the board will be to make strong links with our businesses and residents as we consult, engage and co-create the future together.
“We’d love to hear from anyone interested in joining the board – and any organisations or businesses who would like to hear more about our ambitious plans and offer feedback or input.
“Regular engagement events will be arranged throughout this process and will play a vital role in making sure the entire seafront community can contribute to agreeing the priorities that will make the biggest difference.”
Information about joining the Seafront Development Board can be found on the council’s website.
Derek may have a point. Anybody can apply but perhaps they are looking for a certain type of anybody.
Who will the board be accountable to and what power will it have? Will it be another quango that sidesteps current democratic oversight?
Currently local councillors will be involved in developments along the seafront in their areas. They are democratically elected by the very people affected by decisions. You see the link.
Will this quango of selected individuals overrule local accountability?
Who signed off on the formation of this board and why? That might lead to some answers.
🙂
What we don’t need is more boomers demanding taxes spent on the stuff THEY allowed to crumble.
We also don’t need people trying to turn the clock back to the 50’s, which people of this age are constant trying to impose.
Same sort of person who objects to 500 desperately needed homes being built on brownfield sites because he happens to live nest door.
Make no mistake, these people are out to impose their will, and they want to recruit people into their anti-home agenda.
Avoid.
You mean the objection that was because they were concerned about the evidence-base of toxins being released on other similar brown sites. How dare they care about carcinogens and environmentally acquired respiratory diseases?
Trying to spread malfeasance and being called out is a bad look for you. Do better.
I remember reading about the first citizens assembly in Oxford. Few token residents and business owners or reps but, ultimately, decisions happened to fall in line with the staus quo with the meetings being obviously steered towards predefined objectives. It’s called communitarianism, if you’re interested. Same phenomena as using cycle clubs to create the illusion of support for all these redundant cycle lanes everywhere or the trans community and Muslims to usher in hate speech laws. Onward, lemmings!
Pretty sure that communitarianism is the exact opposite of what you’re describing, but nice try, JJ. Communitarianism advocates for a balance between individual rights and social responsibilities, often stressing the need for a strong sense of collective duty to promote the common good.
I wouldn’t listen to Derek – he thinks VG3 will be a success!
But Tom, you seem to have one singular thought in your head you parrot on, try to shoehorn into every possible comment you post, and have been for the last six months.
Derek does a lot in his own way to improve the area that he lives in. You could learn a lot from that, Tom.
Whining in a corner of the internet hasn’t gotten you very far, maybe you should try a better approach?
Whilst I appreciate Derek has done a lot to progress the development, I would prefer that those on boards are elected and accountable to the residents rather than just keen individuals who want to push their own agendas.
Recently we saw pro-cycling activists Mark Strong, who failed in getting elected a Green Party councillor, getting co-opted on to a transport planning board wanting to further increase parking fees to discourage motorists coming to the city.
Isn’t Mark Strong a Transport Consultant by profession, so makes an excellent choice to be on a transport board?
Although, I take your broader point about board composition, ideally they would have a good balance of different viewpoints, so that one person’s agenda is balanced by the rest.
An objective transport consultant would be great if they considered the needs of all road users and the effect on businesses, and the local economy. As I recall, Mark was previously involved with the Green Party in implementing various city transport schemes promoting active travel, and now continues as board member following the same theme.
His LinkedIn entry clearly shows he is biased towards promoting active travel and is anti-motorist, but as long as this is recognised by the board it is now a major issue.
I did wonder who suggested he was co-opted onto the board in the first place after failing to win?
From LinkedIn:
About :
Transport planning – focussing on cycling, walking and smarter choices
Specialties:
Development of walking & cycling policies & networks
Monitoring & assessment of active travel
Cycling & walking infrastructure
Bike share & micromobility
I see your point about the need for balance on boards. And it is important to have multiple points of view, something I recall you arguing about when we spoke about Ward Councillors from different parties. His background in cycling and active travel does indicate a strong bias toward these issues, but it’s also important to note that that same expertise can be crucial for making informed decisions. The board has a broad range of voices, so one person’s alledged agenda would be balanced by the rest.
Thank you , Boring Benjy.
Why not just admit you are a Council apologist who is paid to ‘parrot on’ about how great BHCC is?
Surprised you didn’t manage to ‘shoehorn’ in your favourite word – ‘disingenuous’.
I wouldn’t like to be stuck on a long haul flight sat next to you.
Where and how do I apply? I see the same names always appearing over the years and see the same catastrophic mistakes being made with nobody accused and allowed to continue. You have my email address… I’m waiting for the invitation.
The application link is on the council website, easy for anyone to find
Start by reading the article to the end, David. Oh dear.
An alternative view is that the Board needs to be made of up people with expertise and not just those who get regularly featured by the Local Democracy reporter because they have a Facebook page.
It’s quite clear that many of the loudest voices who endlessly complain about everything in the city are completely unrepresentative of the views of residents.
Nothing wrong with local voices. Nothing wrong with disagreeing with them. Nothing wrong with supporting them either.
There are a lot of community voices out there that have strong representation, having worked in the hyperlocal for a while. Sounds like a good plan to bring that unique perspective to bear to enhance a board’s considerations, wouldn’t it?
I”d never seen the term “hyperlocal” before, so did a search and found https://www.communityjournalism.co.uk/what-is-a-hyperlocal/
Looking at the list of hyperlocal “community journalist “agencies, the only one for Brighton and Hove is “Brighton and Hove News” – quelle surprise! What is your link to this fine news organisation?
You might want to pick up a dictionary next time you don’t understand a term, which is strange, because searching “hyperlocal” gives you the Merriam-Webster definition as the first result, your link several below that, so I’m confused as to why you’re referring to a blog post over a primary source? Quelle surprise, indeed.
HYPERLOCAL
Adjective;
Limited to a very small geographical area
Examples: Whitehawk, Black Rock, Brighton Marina
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hyperlocal
Community centres within those areas, “friends of” groups, local charities, and local political groups; can all be described as having a hyperlocal focus. I trust this clears up your misunderstanding, and next time, please ask if you don’t understand something, I am more than happy to explain things to you.
That’s not how you spell “Palmeira” as any genuine local would know.
Sorry – I tend to stick to standard British English rather then American terms but thank you for your offer.
I see you refuse to confirm, or deny, any link to Brighton and Hove News‽
I find it deeply disturbing that Lord Bassam, who doesn’t live locally and has no elected mandate, is chairing this group. Why? Any group determining this area should be be resident-led.
While Lord Bassam may not reside locally, his extensive experience, including 12 years leading Brighton & Hove City Council, his life peerage, and his work on the Select Committee, makes him highly qualified to chair this group. The argument that locality disqualifies him overlooks the fact that his role can still allow for a resident-led approach, with valuable external insight guiding the process.
“Independent Seafront Development Board to “shape a vision and encourage investment”?”
This is not an “Independent” Committee at all. It is a Labour-controlled contrivance through and through and by those who are not even current elected Councillors but in bed with developers. It could hardly be more blatant.
The residents are an afterthought from the outset.
You’re jumping around in your arguments. Also, random allegations, with no actual proof or logic behind it, don’t make compelling arguments. I’ve spoken to you about this before, Mike. Back it up with…something…anything, otherwise, it’s just a conspiracy.
Prove these people are a genuine “Independent” board with nothing but the residents’ interests and the future and legacy of Brighton and Hove at heart. Even Derek doesn’t think so! Otherwise your approval of them is just your personal opinion.
Steve Bassam and his wife Jill have lived in Kemp Town for 30 or 40 years.
They may have but what have they ever done for Brighton and Hove? He didn’t even save West Pier when he had the opportunity. It’s all about privatising as much as possible with him. At public expense.