Summer is over and it’s been a mixed bag of weather and issues! We’ve received lots of comments and complaints about weeds, refuse and recycling services and parking – all of which we’re taking very seriously and escalating with officers.
In the meantime, we’re also trying to implement decisions made back in July about one-off initiatives to utilise last year’s underspend.
These will be discussed in detail at a cross-party meeting this month and I’m hoping for some visible and positive outcomes for the city.
They include a park and ride feasibility study, money for community initiatives to tackle weeds, investment in parks and the electric car share scheme, funds to consult around women’s safety as well as investment for community wealth-building initiatives and tackling disadvantage across our early years services.
Council officers have put a bid into government for a “Mini Holland” proposal across the wards of Wish and Westbourne and a few adjacent roads.
This is based on some early outcomes of work done on the local walking and cycling infrastructure plan (LCWIP).
Such a scheme would change the area significantly – not just around traffic flows and modes but also improve the streetscape and encourage local business.
I do hope we can get the funding agreed and look forward to working with officers and residents to develop this scheme.
I’ve attended the Royal Sussex County Hospital again today for a check-up and found some staff union members handing out leaflets outside.
I have to say I was shocked by the latest pay offer from the government of just 3 per cent.
Even before the extraordinary challenges of the pandemic, NHS staff have had to cope with increasing workloads and backlogs as well as understaffing. Now, the backlog of work is over five million patients.
The 3 per cent offer is hardly the investment needed to reward staff for their hard work, leaving many below the real Living Wage (which, as we all know, doesn’t really go very far in this city anyway) and increasing the real terms pay cuts that have been the reality for NHS staff over the last decade.
Councillor Carmen Appich is the joint leader of the Labour opposition on Brighton and Hove City Council.
3% pay offer is more than what Labour were arguing for….
Wish and Westbourne wards to be sectioned off and cars banned?
Good luck with that.
Bring on the elections, Labour and Greens will be out finally.