Leading councillors face questions as to why grass areas used for events in the centre of Brighton have not been “made good” despite charging fees for restoration and appointing a contractor.
Valley Gardens resident Maxine Horn wants to know why the green space between North Road and Richmond Place, used for the Spiegelgarden and bar during the Brighton Festival and Fringe in May, has not been reinstated.
Ms Horn has submitted a question to Brighton and Hove City Council for the meeting of the full council on Monday (13 October) asking about payments to the council’s contractor.
She plans to ask: “In December 2024, the council appointed a third-party company New Timber, to work with City Parks to undertake rapid reinstatement of damaged green spaces following use by outdoor events.
“Can the council therefore list the reinstatement fees and bonds each event has paid since the new policy was introduced in December 2024 and where those funds are being held.
“Can the council confirm when the reinstatement of the grassed areas will take place and give precise details of the nature of the work and a breakdown of the costs.
“Is the council liable for any shortfalls or will event organisers meet additional charges? Will any underspend be retained by City Parks or returned to the event organisers?”
Ms Horn, who has lived for 20 years near the site used for the Speigelgarden this year, was taken aback when the venue was announced in late April because it is not an area regularly used for festival, fringe or other events.
The Level, the open spaces around St Peter’s Church and Victoria Gardens usually host fairs, seasonal events, food festivals and events during the festival and fringe.
Part of the gardens had to be dug up in June after the Spiegelgarden’s temporary structures were removed and a gas main was damaged in the process.
Southern Gas Networks (SGN) had to excavate parts of the gardens – and, in June, Brighton and Hove City Council said that the Spiegelgarden organiser would pick up the bill.
Ms Horn chose to take the issue to the full council because she feels “fobbed off” with excuses as to why the repair has not occurred.
She said: “Here we are in October. We’ve been fobbed off with ‘it’s not the right time to reseed until September’. Now we’re in October,
“Then they said, ‘We’ve sprinkled some seed but the birds ate it.’ Talk about dog ate my homework!”
In March, the council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee was told that City Parks would not be “making good” green spaces but that a third-party contractor would assess the sites and carry out repairs.
A new “Sustainable Event Commitment” was introduced this year for event organisers to ensure that they carried out any remedial work required after events at their own cost.
When asked why the Valley Gardens grassed areas were not now being repaired after complaints by the Friends of Valley Gardens in July, the council said that the parks team was currently unavailable because of the time of year.
Green councillor Sue Shanks, who represents West Hill and North Laine, has submitted two written questions to Labour councillor Alan Robins, the council’s cabinet member for sports, recreation and libraries.
Councillor Shanks asked for a list of reinstatement fees and bonds for each event paid since the council appointed New Timber to carry out rapid reinstatement of damaged green spaces last December and where the money was held.
She also asked when Valley Gardens restoration would start, the nature of the work and the breakdown of costs, who would pay for any overspend and who received underspends.
The full council meeting is due to start at 4.30pm on Monday (13 October) at Hove Town Hall. The meeting is scheduled to be webcast.
Watch the reply on Monday on Youtube live https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fTWTkyAJG4
I go to the Canary islands every year , full of lush grass areas all well kept .. and Zero rain all year round. The council are an utter joke
I’m still alarmed by the Hove Beach Park fiasco where the council planted loads of young saplings, and then proceeded to allow hundreds of them to die by not taking care of them.
Thats the contractors responsibility not the council
I maintain protective ground mesh should be a requirement. Prevention is better than repair. Anyone knows as well that you have to prepare the ground before seeding in large open areas.
Please Please restore Brighton!! Its not about the keeping the areas in check for tourist, it should be all of the City its an utterly disgusting state ,How much was spent in Valley gardens there are no flowers, nowhere nice to admire due to the garden beds overgrownNo maintenence I never see I was is born in Brighton and live here all my life,over the years Brighton and the outer areas are left with no management at all !! the verges, planting areas ,trees ,are not maintained in the way other City’s are. I can see the the Old Steine will be one big contrate slab Why don’t the Council maintain one area get it right then move on to the next with the budget ,I hear when travelling by bus many talk about Brighton looks dreadful Please tidy the CITY
No money for maintenance
they are not interested in introducing prevention measure for anything yet alone green spaces
Good on her for doing this. They need to be held to account.
Yes car parks in the lake district have the ground mesh, that is what should be put down in areas that have public events the grass will soon recover after the event has moved on. Cheaper in the long run.
Moneys been used elsewhere no doubt by fraudulent accounting
Where does all the events money go for renting out and depriving the public of their public spaces? We need council transparency about who/what benefits and how much money is paid for events to the council each year, because it doesn’t seem to be the city which benefits if there is not even proper making good afterwards happening.
please ask your councillors to investigate . the more people do this the better
It’s a reasonable question to understand where event money is spent. From what I could gather, it ends up in the General Fund, which pays broadly for core city services.
Lets have some transparency and accountability . how much is raised and does it just go on paying the salaries of the event team aka £200k. Local communities where the events are held get nothing in return just trashed grassed areas and ASB
This is a public document that I found, that might answer some of your questions. https://democracy.brighton-hove.gov.uk/documents/s196860/Appendix%209%20Budget%20Book%20202425.pdf?
The statement that Victoria Gardens is “not an area regularly used for festival, fringe or other events” is simply untrue. Before the Spiegel Garden was on that site the Ladyboys tent was there. Before then it was the venue for the Warren. There is a small minority of people who would like to ban all outdoor events in Brighton, but most residents welcome these events. The reason the grass is dry has much more to do with the heatwave rather than events being held on the space. It would be sad if Brighton lost its unique outdoor events because a small group of people don’t like them.
its not about not having events its about having them in the right place at the right
You have to remember though this is a council department, the chances of a ‘manager’ leaving their office to go and actually check work is being carried out, is about as likely as snow in June.
In any other organisation someone would get the sack, here they will get a promotion. That’s how it works at the council, if your incapable, you change departments.
Hats off to the resident who’s not dropping this, because I’ll put money on this being something that’s been swept under the carpet
this is not the first time we questioned this and wont be the last. council replies are meaningless
Why not ask the Seagulls? The match pitch is always immaculate. Grass and lawn technology has moved on and it should not be beyond the wit of man to apply it to high wear lawns in the city.
Seagulls is private VG is council . Seagulls have funds council does not
Not everybody knows that the council is a private enterprise run by amateurs. A unique business model that never worries about where their money comes from. They do not worry, they keep taking freely from the few taxpayers left in the city and hand out freely to those who do not pay taxes, to subcontractors and ‘Partners’ – NO QUESTIONS ASKED.
To get anything done beyond the legal duties of health and safety, required unpaid individuals like this resident to take action. Unfortunately this is never enough unless they start a campaign and recruit a large number of more unpaid activists to give their time and effort. One way open is to anticipate these loony council decisions and object wherever a planning permission is required.
Not sure if this is the case with handing over our parks and seafront to ‘events’
its not about not having events its about having them in the right place
A bit of perspective is needed here.
Many young people don’t realise that just 20 years ago, these spaces were completely different. They were never fenced off and taken over by private companies.
For instance, The Lady Boys of Bangkok performed in the Sabai Pavilion for many years. I don’t know the exact date they moved onto the grass.
The Warren, on the other hand, only appeared north of St Peter’s Church in 2015. Before that, there was a community jumble sale now and again.
Brighton and Hove is increasingly becoming polarised, between those who are struggling to pay for every day things against very rich visitors/tenants who can afford to live in these ridiculous Lego built developments.
Good on Ms Horn
Well said. Please tell your councillors your concerns
No self respecting private company would agree to make good, because as soon as all their hard work comes to fruition yet another event will set up shop. And I remember before lady boys, the area from St Peters down to the old steine was neatly cut grass and numerous flower beds, these events simply wouldn’t have been allowed. Brighton has been trashed by too many events.