17 FEBRUARY 2022

 

BUDGET AMENDMENTS 2022/3:  WOMEN’S SAFETY IN THE NIGHT-TIME ECONOMY PACKAGE A KEY PART OF CONSERVATIVES’ BUDGET AMENDMENTS

 

• Conservative amendment to refocus budget on women’s safety in the night-time economy
• £70,000 package would deliver CCTV; lighting; drink spiking test kits to licensed venues; as well as expand popular services such as taxi marshalls and beach buggies
• Measures are needed after the City’s poor performance on public safety was revealed during the past year

 

The Conservatives have announced today that they will make women’s safety in the night-time economy a key part of their amendments to the Brighton and Hove City Budget.

 

Under proposals set to be put to the Budget Council meeting next week, the Conservatives would redirect £70,000 of funding towards a package of measures to improve safety for women in the city after dark.  The Conservative proposals include:

 

• Capital investment in street lighting and additional CCTV to support safer environments at night for women - £54,000
• Tackling drink spiking in the city, by making more Drink spiking kits available to licenced venues - £3,000
• Providing a safer environment on nights out, with additional resources for Safe space, Taxi Marshalls, Ask Angela, beach buggy and a communications on campaign on drink spiking - £13,000

 

Women’s safety has become a significant issue in Brighton over the past year, with statistics released showing the City performing poorly across a number of areas.

 

Central Brighton recently ranked 8th highest for reported crime of 33,000 areas across the England and Wales according to a national analysis of crime reports, with Pavilion Gardens and surrounds recording seven incidents of rape in three years.  There have also been 100 incidents of drink spiking across the wider county over a 10 month period, many in Brighton and Hove.

 

 

Conservative Communities Spokesperson Dee Simson said that Brighton was starting to get a reputation as being unsafe for women after dark and that there were many steps the Council should be taking now to improve the situation.

 

“We have seen worrying statistics during the past year about how far Brighton is lagging behind the rest of the Country in tackling crime and antisocial behaviour in the public domain and many women are now intimidated by how run down and dangerous areas of central Brighton have become” Cllr Simson said.

 

“Many women feel that the public domain in central Brighton is not a safe environment on a night out and the Council needs to act now to bring itself up to standard.

 

“The Council has simply not being doing enough to tackle the issue:  In Old Steine gardens, a crime hotspot, we found that 9/10 street lights had not been working for years and incredibly the Council did not even bother to put an application in for Safer Streets Funds for better CCTV and lighting in 2020 when invited to.

 

“There is a feeling that the Council has not made safety for women in the night-time economy a priority in its Draft Budget and many women would like to see more done, which is why we are putting forward this amendment.

 

“This package of amendments will focus on tackling some of the key issues in central Brighton, including installing better street lighting and more CCTV.

 

“We are looking to start tackling the drink spiking epidemic in the city, by providing test kits to our licensed venues across the city.

 

“There is also proposed funding to better resource key services such as the Taxi Marshalls, Ask Angela, beach buggy, which are all and important part of delivering a safe night out in central Brighton.

 

“These measures are needed to turn around the issue and make sure Brighton does not continue to gain a reputation for being unsafe for women” Cllr Simson added.

 

 

Conservative Finance Spokesperson Joe Miller said the money could be found by making sensible savings across areas in the Budget.

 

“Budgets are about priorities and we need to ensure that the council’s resources are going where they are needed most in the city.

 

“Rather than spend money on more bureaucracy, red tape and grand visions on international matters that residents will not see any benefit from, the City wants to see expenditure on practical measures where it will make a difference to residents on the ground.

 

“This package of measures will provide tangible benefits to safety in the city for women and we encourage all Councillors to get behind this amendment and vote for it on Budget night” Cllr Miller added.

 

Conservative Group Amendment 2

 

To provide £0.050m capital investment in street lighting and additional CCTV to support safer environments at night for women. The capital financing cost of this is £0.004m.

Allocate £0.003m to increase the proposed allocation of £0.005m for drink spiking kits.

Allocate £0.013m to support the maintenance of the additional street lighting and CCTV, and additional resources for (Safe space, taxi marshalls, Ask Angela, beach buggy and communications on campaign on drink spiking)

 

The above proposals require £0.100m recurrent revenue resources and this will be funded by replacing the £0.100m recurrent funding allocation to planning for investment to support planning reforms with £0.100m one off resources only. The one off resources will be funded by deferring £1.250m capital investment of the proposed 2022/23 allocation to the Carbon Neutral 2030 fund until 2023/24 which released £0.100m one off funding from the financing costs budget. 

 

ENDS.