Simon Kirby MP for Brighton Kemptown & Peacehaven along with other East Sussex MPs met Highways England yesterday to discuss improvements to A27.
Simon Kirby MP
In 2015, The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £75 million of funding for improvements to the A27. Mr Kirby organised a meeting in November with Transport Minister Andrew Jones MP and other East Sussex MPs, councillors and council officers to discuss the best way to spend the money.
All present clarified their desire that the money be put towards a large-scale, ambitious project to alleviate current capacity and safety issues.
Mr Kirby said:“As Chair of the A27 Reference Group, I was pleased to be able to have this meeting yesterday with Highways England to discuss improvements to the A27. We are working on a long-term plan to improve the road and I am hoping that these improvements will ease some of the pressure from the A259 in my constituency.”
Brighton Festival announces major new work inspired by the story of hundreds of thousands of men who travelled from India to fight for the Allies in the First World War.
Commissioned in partnership with 14-18 Now and Royal Pavilion and Museums, and created by performance company Nutkhut with a creative team that includes designer Tom Piper (Tower of London poppies), Dr Blighty will be an ambitious, large-scale, immersive outdoor experience, and a showpiece for the 50th edition of Brighton Festival which again takes place in May.
More than a million men travelled from India to fight for the Allies during the First World War, their collective experiences constituting one of military history’s great though often untold stories. Brighton played a key part in that story, as between 1914 and 1916 over 2000 Indian soldiers wounded on the Western Front were brought to a temporary hospital housed in Brighton’s Royal Pavilion Estate.
Dr Blighty recalls this episode in Brighton’s history, bringing the experiences of the soldiers – and the locals who came to care for them – movingly back to life via an immersive, walk-through installation across the Royal Pavilion Estate.
Inspired by letters the soldiers sent home, and populated by actors, interactive installations, video projections, ambient soundscapes and theatrical set pieces, the event will seek to capture the essence of the Pavilion wartime hospital along with the experiences of the soldiers who recuperated there.
The hospital installation will be complemented by a series of related performances and participatory outreach activities, drawing parallels with contemporary events while bringing this moving episode in Brighton’s history back to life.
For four nights, a spectacular after-dark production will incorporate video projections on the Royal Pavilion.
In addition, the Philharmonia Orchestra will perform with some of India’s leading contemporary musicians in a special ticketed concert at Brighton Dome, marrying Western and Eastern classical music traditions.
Ajay Chhabra, Artistic Director of Nutkhut says:“Thousands of letters were written from the Western Front back home to wives, mothers, daughters and sisters, and it’s the emotion within these letters that Dr Blighty is trying to bring into the public domain. They, alongside the propaganda and the censorship, give us an insight into the lives of these young men, and give these many anonymous soldiers a voice. The project will essentially tell a 100-year-old story, and make it a contemporary one for new audiences.”
Andrew Comben, Chief Executive, Brighton Dome & Brighton Festival added:“This is an important story, both in the history of Brighton & Hove and in the wider context of the First World War – one which we think deserves to be better known. In Brighton Festival’s 50th year, it’s even more appropriate that we present this piece now and I am delighted to be working with our partners to bring it to fruition.”
Brighton Festival’s Guest Director for this milestone year is the pioneering artist and musician Laurie Anderson.
Established in 1967, the month long event is now one of Europe’s leading arts festivals, and is an enduring symbol of the city’s culture, inventive spirit and experimental reputation.
Full programme details of Brighton Festival 2016 will be announced on February 17, 2016.
PACE, the London-based LGBT+ mental health charity will close and cease operating on January 29, 2016.
Founded in 1985 as part of London’s Lesbian & Gay Centre, PACE has provided support services for the LGBT+ community for over 30 years delivering counselling, advocacy, training, youth work, research and mental health support to LGBT people and their families to help them manage the difficulties they face in their day-to-day lives; at work, school and home.
A spokesperson for PACE said: “The decision to close the doors on PACE after 31 years of supporting the LGBT+ community is one that we have taken with a very heavy heart.
“The financial climate is very difficult for small charities, especially those delivering services at a local level with continuing cuts to local authority budgets. Sadly despite work to support the charity raising the necessary income needed has proved increasingly hard and it has become clear that it is no longer financially viable for the charity to continue.
“The staff and trustees will work to ensure that PACE’s clients are given as much support as possible during this difficult time and referred to other support services as far as is possible.
“We would like to thank all those who have supported us and worked with us to deliver vital support services for the LGBT+ community. A very big thank you to all the staff and volunteers over the last 31 years wo have provided so much support and dedication to the community.”
If you need support, contact LGBT Switchboard on 0300 330 0630 or click here:
Greens express bitter disappointment over council withdrawal from Stonewall Equality Index.
Brighton & Hove Greens have voiced their “disappointment” with the Labour administrations decision not to join the Stonewall Equality Index this year.
Brighton & Hove City Council, has been part of the index since it started in 2005, and has regularly been accessed as the top performing local authority in its commitment to LGBT-equality. However, in 2014 the council fell out of the top 100 for the first time, reaching only 104 in the annual index. In 2015 the Green-led council re-entered the index at number 12 after previously rising to number 3 in 2009 under a Conservative administration.
The index is a benchmark of good progress which has helped the Council to measure its performance annually on LGBT-equality. It is free to enter with the only resources required being staff time to complete the application and ensure standards are being met.
Stonewall, say the scheme is “designed to challenge” and provides “a strategic framework for employers” to support them to create an inclusive workplace. Research has shown that employees from organisations ranked in Stonewall’s Top 100 exhibited higher levels of staff satisfaction and loyalty.
The Labour Council say that the Stonewall process would have required “considerable resources”, and have said rather than entering the scheme, they have chosen to “access themselves”, using the Local Government Association (LGA) Equality Framework for Local Government.
Cllr Phélim Mac Cafferty
Green Councillor and Convener of the Green group Phélim Mac Cafferty, said: “The Stonewall index has been a vital tool in driving up the Council’s standards on LGBT equality, challenging us to continually improve. Whenever performance has dropped, the index has alerted us to the fact and allowed us to refocus our efforts. I’m really concerned that by failing to participate in the scheme for the first time since it began in 2005, our performance could drop dramatically. Without a rigorous process to follow, there is a danger that we could become complacent and fail to deliver on LGBT equality”.
“Under the Green administration, the council made huge strides forward on equality for the trans community. In multiple years we were voted the top council in the country on the Stonewall Equality Index. Twice – in 2012 and in 2014 – the city Council won the Stonewall Education Equality Award as the leading council combating homophobia in the classroom. Our ongoing commitment to LGBT equality was the right thing to do, and makes financial sense as a more inclusive city council means a happier, more diverse and more productive workforce which reflects the people we serve. Labour’s removal from the Index is a real set-back to that hard work.
“In 2014 Labour leader Warren Morgan told us that “A Labour council will work to restore our position and reputation as an LGBT employer from day one”. Now it seems that while talk is cheap, real action is lacking. How can we restore our position if we don’t even enter? Self-regulation and monitoring using light-touch schemes simply won’t cut it – we need to be challenged to adhere to the highest standards and show we are truly committed to LGBT equality”.
Cllr Emma Daniel
Responding for the Labour administration, Cllr Emma Daniels, Chair of the council’s neighbourhoods, communities and equalities committee, said:“We are still doing all the very positive things that led to Stonewall naming us the top council in their employer index last year, and we remain supportive of the excellent work they do. However, our equalities remit extends well beyond the LGBT workforce issues they focus on. We are equally focused on black and minority ethnic, disability and gender issues and fair and accessible service delivery.
“The national Equality Framework for Local Government accesses all of these areas. It also gives us the chance to learn from best practice elsewhere.
“We will be assessed under the EFLG later this year. Gathering the evidence and completing the paperwork for this exercise takes up a considerable amount of staff time.
“Rather than duplicating a lot of this with a separate evaluation by Stonewall, we consider focusing exclusively on the EFLG to be the best use of limited resources and the best way of demonstrating our progress and achievements in all aspects of equalities.
“We have also now joined The LGBT International Rainbow Cities Network, which helps cities improve the quality of life of lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans residents of all ages.
“This gives us the chance to learn from best practice in other cities around the world, and also share our own expertise.”
This expertise includes Trans ‘toolkits’ that have been developed by staff over the last two years to improve our work as an employer for Trans people and make the most of our diverse and talented workforce.
“Our aspiration is that no child’s education or childhood is harmed because of their gender identity.
She continued: “An EU study of 92,000 LGBT citizens found that across Europe two third of respondents hid the fact that they are LGBT while at school. I find this statistic really upsetting.
“The gender identity of our children and young people should not prevent them from feeling safe at school and making friends.
“Our schools have full access to a toolkit developed in partnership with local LGBT youth charity Allsorts. We actively encourage all our schools to make use of this resource and we feel confident they share this aim.
“Our work in this area has cross-party support, and it’s important we lead by example. We are grateful to the representatives of the Trans community who have been voluntarily helping us to improve and refine the toolkits.
“I am proud that in this country Parliament is taking this issue seriously and that as city leaders we are as well.
“We remain committed to Stonewall and we understand they will be reviewing their questions and scoring to include scoring on trans employment practice in 2017 which we welcome”
Peter Kyle MP
Peter Kyle the Labour MP for Hove and Portslade, added:“It’s really important that organisations like our local council put their commitment to diversity to the test so that we can judge them against others and see progress over time. The council has chosen to join a new diversity index and the LGA has a good track record in measuring council performance. The key thing now is to stick with it so we can judge their performance over time and be reassured that it’s going in the right direction.”
Simon Kirby MP
Simon Kirby the Conservative MP for Brighton Kemptown & Peacehaven, said:“I am very pleased that Sussex Police appear on the Stonewall Equality Index this year. Congratulations to everyone involved! It’s disappointing that the Council have withdrawn. I hope they will reconsider joining next year.”
Last February, Central and North West London (CNWL), NHS, became the first NHS Trust to launch rainbow-coloured NHS lanyards for staff.
The aim was to reinforce the Trust’s values and promote an environment of openness in all the Trust’s services.
One year on, almost 1,000 staff now wear the lanyards, including members of CNWL’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Network (Pride@CNWL), student nurses, occupational therapists on placement and almost 500 straight allies.
Alison Devlin
Alison Devlin, CNWL’s Equalities and Diversity Manager, said:“The initiative has been a phenomenal success. Once a few people started wearing the lanyards then they quickly spread across our sites and services.
“The lanyards are completely optional – Staff can choose to wear the rainbow version instead of the standard NHS blue ones to highlight their support for LGBT colleagues, patients and the public and to get people talking about LGBT topics in a more confident and open way.”
Mrs Devlin first came up with the initiative after a Patient Experience Survey, carried out by The Advocacy Project (an independent advocacy organisation) on nine of the Trust’s inpatient mental health wards found that some patients preferred not to be open about their sexuality for fear of judgement from staff and other patients.
Feedback in the report included:
“I didn’t feel I could talk to staff, because I don’t feel they understand LGBT issues, and I was worried they would judge me negatively.”
“I would not have felt comfortable disclosing openly. They just didn’t seem like the sort of people who would be able to, if not understand, at least tolerate my situation.”
“This is not the sort of place where I feel comfortable talking about my sexuality and nobody asked either.”
Mrs Devlin continued:“This report really highlighted the importance of creating a more open environment and a better experience for LGBT patients. As a result of the findings we rolled out LGBT awareness training sessions for inpatient staff which, together with the lanyard scheme, has helped to encourage openness on the wards and transform the patient experience. They give a powerful message to people at a time when they might be feeling at their most vulnerable.”
Sexual Health Staff Team wearing their Rainbow Lanyards
Lanyards are distributed with an information booklet that explains the scheme and includes signposting information to a variety of local, London-wide and national LGBT organisations. Staff are also automatically signed up to receive Straight Allies bulletins and educational links to further educate them about LGBT equality issues.
The Advocacy Project returned to one of the inpatient sites in December 2015 to conduct the survey again and review the patient experience
Feedback has been extremely positive:
“I think the rainbow lanyards are brilliant. They make me feel instantly safe. It makes such a difference.”
“It’s comforting. I wish more staff would wear them. I appreciate the ones who do… I can worry about being unwell and getting better, without the stress of being scared about homophobic staff.”
“I think clear messages make a big difference, make LGBT people feel safe, and it’s one less thing to worry about. Because LGBT people do worry about homophobia and transphobia when they come to hospital.”
“I just want to say again that the rainbow badges are brilliant and the ward should have posters up or leaflets telling patients what they mean.”
Claire Murdoch
Claire Murdoch, CNWL Chief Executive, said:“This was a really good initiative that raised issues in an unusual but everyday way and quite colourfully. We’re a diverse Trust and these small reminders add to a positive atmosphere.”
The lanyards were rolled out in February 2015 during LGBT History Month and are promoted to staff continuously throughout the year.
City councillors have selected Crest Nicholson, in partnership with the Starr Trust, as the preferred bidders to redevelop the King Alfred Leisure Centre site on Hove Seafront.
The decision was reached at yesterday’s Brighton and Hove City Council, Policy and Resources committee meeting (January 21, 2016), and is now subject to a 10-day standstill period.
The decision follows a year-long competitive dialogue between two bidders, specialist council officers and overseen by councillors from all parties, on the King Alfred Project Board. Bouygues were the other contenders.
Subject to further design development, public consultation and planning permission the scheme will include a modern new sports centre costing around £40m, paid for by a development of 560 flats – 20 per cent of them affordable homes.
Around £8m of council money will go towards the sports centre, paid for by the much-improved financial performance of the new centre, compared to the old existing building.
Facilities in the new centre will meet or exceed all the minimum specifications laid down by the cross-party policy and resources committee in July 2013. These include three swimming pools, providing a balance of provision for fitness swimmers, families and learners. There will be a 25m eight-lane competition pool, a smaller teaching pool, plus a leisure pool.
Movable floors for changing depths in the competition and teaching pools are features included.
The sports hall will have space for eight badminton courts compared to five in the current centre and there will be a 120-station gym, plus 15 spinning bikes.
Also included in the plans are a crèche, gymnastics centre, three-rink indoor bowls, dedicated martial arts dojo, quiet studio, sauna and a café.
Flats will be in four main blocks, the highest of which will be 18 storeys
Finer details on the plans will be released over the coming months and public consultation will take place as part of the planning process, covering aspects such as size and appearance.
Frank Gehry’s 2007 plans
Plans to redevelop the King Alfred site have been ongoing for many years. Planning permission was granted in 2007 by the Labour administration to Karis Developments to build a development designed by the international architect Frank Gehry. Theproposal proved to be very controversialanddid not have the support of the Conservative group on the city council who added many conditions to the original planning granted when they took control of the council in 2007. In 2008 due to the global financial crisis the project was shelved.
Last February, Central and North West London (CNWL), NHS, became the first NHS Trust to launch rainbow-coloured NHS lanyards for staff.
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