Dear Resident,

Welcome to the second edition of my community campaign blog. It is published monthly so that you can see what I have been doing on your behalf, representing Westbourne ward and the wider city of Brighton and Hove. You can also find updates at my community website www.westbournehove.org.

My blog tells you how to get in touch with any concerns you may have or support you may need. I’m elected to serve you, so please do contact me.

In the May municipal elections, Labour polled circa 20,000 more votes than the Conservatives in Brighton and Hove; and 33,000 more votes than the Greens. This was enough to become the largest party with 23 seats in the council chamber, but 5 seats short of an overall majority. It requires that Labour form a minority administration. In formal voting situations it means having to rely on the support or abstentions of other parties to get measures through.

As a first-time, newly elected councillor, it was a huge honour to be appointed by the Leader of the Council, Cllr. Warren Morgan, to a ‘cabinet’ position. I am one of only three new councillors appointed to a senior role in the administration. Warren asked me to take on the post of Chair of the Children, Young People and Skills Committee. This is one of eight policy committees that are responsible for driving the work of the council, and holding senior ‘officers’ – the full-time paid employees of the Council – to account. Further details of who’s who in the new administration can be found here. 

I’ve wasted no time in getting on top of my new brief. As councillor, I have both statutory and lead member responsibilities for the city’s 50,000 children and young people. A key relationship is with the Director of Children’s Services. I’ve met with him and members of his team most days since taking office. Our discussions have been taken up with the new Administration’s priorities; implementing our local manifesto commitments; and dealing with the issues highlighted by a recent Ofsted inspection of the authority’s children’s services.

Covering the period of the former Green-led administration, the independent inspectors found no serious failings. However, Ofsted said they did not think the authority was yet providing ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ services to children, young people and families. The grade they have given states that overall the council’s services still ‘require improvement’. That’s because inspectors found weaknesses is some core services that the council runs, including a decline in the performance and timeliness of child case conferences.

I’ve made it clear to council officials that the new administration is ambitious for every child and young person that lives in the city. We want them to achieve their full potential – at school and beyond. Crucially, we will not accept second best in our performance as a local authority. I want to see us achieve ‘outstanding’ next time round.

Read my opening statement to the Children, Young People and Skills Committee for a flavour of my commitment to improving education and skills in the city.

Read the council press release about the Ofsted report and my response to it here.

The recent Queen’s birthday honours list resulted in two foster carers from the city being awarded MBEs.

Mr and Mrs Goddard of Peacehaven have provided a loving home to at least sixty children over recent years. Their joint award was richly deserved, as reported in The Argus.

I was fostered myself, so I know what a great job these people do to provide support when it is most needed. The city is responsible for over 350 looked after children. I appeared on Latest TV to bang the drum for more recruitment of local foster parents. Contact me if you are interested in becoming a foster parent. I will put you in touch with the relevant team at the council.

Illegal traveller encampments continue to be a major challenge across the city. Groups of travellers have appeared on Hove Lawns at various times in the past few weeks, only to be swiftly moved on by council officials and the police.

The city is working on a long-term solution to accommodate travellers where we are required to by law. It is important that we respect their way of life, and I have asked the director of children’s services for assurances that the educational needs of traveller children are being properly addressed.

Travellers, however, need to obey the law. They should not trespass on land that they do not have permission to occupy. As a new councillor, I have been very impressed with the way the council and the police handle this difficult issue. Illegal encampments are visited within 24 hours; an on-site assessment is made; and local ward councillors and residents are kept informed of the next steps. If you see an illegal encampment in your part of Westbourne, please contact me.

Top of my caseload concerns from residents is about anti-social behaviour and other late night incidents. Westbourne is a residential, family-orientated place, so major disturbances are thankfully rare. The crime rate is very low, as it is generally across the city. However, with the overseas language student population is about to arrive in large numbers. Some will spill over into late night bars and other entertainment offerings around the city. Local residents are in touch with me about some particular venues, which hold liquor licenses until the early hours of the morning. Most of these issues are simple misunderstandings so it is good to help calm tensions where they exist. One of the helpful things about being a ward councillor is that you can request that the police and council officials step up the monitoring of particular venues that are potentially causing concern. If venues are found to be breaking the terms of a license, then swift action can be taken, including closure.

I’ve dealt with several issues this month of people in privately rented accommodation being evicted by landlords. This is a growing problem across the country, where tenants have no real security of tenure and can be evicted – even if they are paying the rent on time – within just a few weeks.

It is particularly worrying when you come across vulnerable people, including the disabled, who are being treated badly by local private landlords. In one case, I was able to ensure the council placed a resident on the priority list for sheltered accommodation due to his disability.

Working as part of the new administration in city hall, and Peter Kyle MP, I am determined that we campaign for better tenants’ rights in Brighton and Hove, including implementation of a private landlords’ registration scheme run by the council.

One of the things about being accessible on social media, I’ve discovered, is that residents will raise concerns that way. This picture of a derelict shed on the Westbourne seafront was causing one resident concern that she had received no action from the council despite several phone calls and emails to them about it.

Once I saw the photo on my twitter account @Lab_Westbourne, I got in touch with the senior director responsible for these issues at the council. Within 24 hours, an officer had written a detailed apology to my constituent, with a date for demolition of the derelict building.

Cycling to city hall, I often use the seafront route that goes down Hove Street and round the back of the King Alfred Leisure Centre.

Up to a maximum of four hours of parking is available on this stretch of the seafront, and vehicles are expected to move on after that. They should not return within 2 hours. However, complaints from residents and my own observations have found that a small number of motor homes and converted vans are living there overnight on a regular basis. This is an on-going issue of enforcement that the council is currently dealing with. The problem straddles both Westbourne and Hove central wards. If you have concerns about it, please contact me. I’m determined that the council applies the parking rules fairly and that lived in vehicles are dealt with in the same way as illegal traveller encampments.

Should Hove Museum diversify its income by incubating start-up businesses and holding a regular Farmers’ Market?

Please let me know your views.

Second Friday every month between 4pm-6pm at Hove Museum, with Cllr. Denise Cobb (Conservative) member for Westbourne

If you need support or assistance outside surgery times, my contact details are below.

E-mail: tom.bewick@brighton-hove.gov.uk
Tel: 01273 290481
Twitter: @Lab_Westbourne
Website: www.westbournehove.org

Details of my council declaration of interests and committee memberships can be found here.

Download a city ward map of Councillors here.