- Disability beach access ramp plan for the City’s east
- Proposal to kick-start the process for new beach huts for the eastern seafront
- Plans to be funded by redirecting funding away from Greens’ Low Traffic Neighbourhood pil
The Conservative team has today announced a budget plan to make the City’s eastern seafront more accessible.
The measures, which include plans for new beach huts and a disability access ramp, are aimed at redressing the accessibility gap between the western and eastern seafronts in Brighton:
- A disability beach access ramp for the eastern seafront - £30,000
- Feasibility study for a new beach huts for the eastern seafront - £10,000
These proposals build on the Conservatives’ previously announced plan to boost the accessibility of Brighton & Hove’s seafront tourist attractions, with £500,000 for a new accessible carriage for the Volk’s Electric Railway.
The Conservative proposals, which will brought before Budget Council on Thursday night, are funded by redirecting spending from other parts of the budget.
Conservative Equalities Spokesperson Dee Simson said that disability access to the seafront had gone backwards this year after a range of active travel measures were introduced by the council without proper consultation.
“The Council’s treatment of people with a disability over the past year has been nothing short of disgraceful” Cllr Simson said.
“As has been widely reported in the press, the council’s active travel measures have discriminated against people with a disability in our City, reducing safe access to the seafront at Madeira Drive and the A259 by creating dangerous parking bays and reducing access to the toilets on Madeira Drive.
“The impact has prompted residents to come together to form a new disability advocacy organisation – Brighton Access for Disabled Groups Everywhere (BADGE), which we fully support.
These Conservative measures aim to focus the council on increasing accessibility to the seafront instead of reducing it.
Conservative Finance Spokesperson Joe Miller said that the proposal for new beach huts would generate revenue for the council as well as improving seafront accessibility.
“These measures are to be funded by redirecting funding from other areas of the budget but in the medium term will generate revenue for the Council.
“We want to see measures that increase accessibility for the disabled rather than reduce it, so are proposing to redirect funding from the Greens’ low traffic neighbourhood pilot which will only restrict disability access in our city further.
"Our experience from the last Conservative administration in the City between 2007-2011 shows that a successful beach hut building programme not only boosts accessibility to the seafront but also generates revenue for the council, making this a financially prudent plan.
Conservative Councillor Mary Mears said that the proposals would help redress an accessibility gap between the western and eastern beaches in the City.
“Many residents east of the City feel forgotten by Brighton & Hove Council as if the City ends at the Marina” Cllr Mears said.
“There are 10 miles of beachfront and a shocking shortage of disability access ramps. There is currently only one disability access ramp in the city which is near the King Alfred in the west.
“We hope that these measures will be supported by the Council on Thursday night so we can show people in the east of the city and people with a disability that they are not forgotten by this council” Cllr Mears added.
Conservative Amendment to be presented to Budget Council on Thursday night
To redirect the £0.050m one-off resources to support delivery of the council's Covid Recovery & Renewal Programme actions and the £0.020m recurrent provision for a Low traffic Neighbourhood pilot, which are included in the Corporate Plan Investment Table 2 on page 33 of the agenda, and reinvest in : -
· £0.030m one-off resource for a disabled access ramp to the beach;
· £0.010m one-off resource to support a feasibility study for new beach huts;
ENDS.
