A Moulsecoomb resident has been ordered to pay £1774.50 and had his music equipment seized for breaching a noise abatement notice.
Clive Goodall, of Hawthorn Bank, pleaded guilty to the breach at Brighton Magistrates Court on March 28, 2017.
Mr Goodall was served a Noise Abatement Notice in August after reports to the council’s out-of-hours noise patrol led to them hearing loud music coming from his flat late at night.
After several warnings following further complaints over the autumn, council officers witnessed Mr Goodall disturbing his neighbours by playing loud music, shouting and banging on December 5 2016.
A warrant was obtained to remove all noise making equipment from the flat, which included sound systems, CDs and a DVD player.
The Magistrates gave Mr Goodall a two-year conditional discharge, ordering him to pay full costs to the council of £1754.50, plus a £20 victim surcharge.
They also agreed that his sound systems, DVD player and CDs would be forfeited and not returned.
Cllr Gill Mitchell
Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the Environment, Transport and Sustainability committee said:“Like all anti-social behaviour, noise nuisance can cause a great deal of distress. Our officers gave Mr Goodall every opportunity to comply with the terms of his noise abatement notice and, in the end, we had no option but to take the matter to court.”
I’d like to thank our noise team for their great work to restore some peace to the lives of Mr Goodall’s neighbours. I’d urge anyone experiencing noise nuisance to report it to us.”
The Council noise patrol operates on Friday and Saturday nights between 10pm and 3am.
This Thursday, Brighton and Hove City Council will consider a proposal from the Green group of Councillors condemning the Government’s removal of entitlement to housing benefit for 18-21 year olds. We are doing this for many reasons, but my letter seeks to identify the disproportionate impacts this proposal will have on the young people who self-define as LGBT+.
The proposals as they stand could have deep and disturbing consequences for our LGBT+ young people. Importantly and as many readers will recognise, not all young people have the option to stay at home. Many young people find that when they ‘come out’ they are rejected from family homes, often have to flee abusive households and face the real fear of community retribution.
According to the Albert Kennedy Trust, of the whole quarter of our homeless young people who are LGBT+, 69% have been actively forced out of home and have experienced aggression and physical violence.
The Conservative Government’s austerity programme has led to a 20% increase in young LGBT+ people seeking the Albert Kennedy Trust’s help with homelessness. With money tighter at home, homophobic parents have been empowered and found it easier to kick dependent children out- with Stonewall saying: “We have seen in difficult economic times that families that weren’t that tolerant anyway, under increasing financial pressure, excluding more.” This benefit change is an ideological kick in the teeth to young LGBT+ people who are to be penalised also now on the grounds of their age, sexuality and gender identity.
I welcome news that in some cases, such as where there has been domestic abuse or harm, this rule will not apply. But I remain concerned that the new rules fail to take into account the exact nature of why people are not able to live at home. Among many others, factors such as fear of retribution that lead to young LGBT+ people leaving home can be far less obvious.
The purpose of the change has been described by the former Chancellor George Osborne as “stopping young people slipping into life on benefits” however at that age, not all young people can afford university; not all will have access to the right employment, training and skills for a job.
The reason many young people need to move out of home or require housing benefit is not because they are ‘not in work.’ In fact figures from homeless charity Crisis show that the 11,000 young people in the country who do claim housing benefit at this age represent just 0.4% of the total annual spend on housing benefit.
I would argue that most – if not the vast majority – of young people do not make a conscious ‘decision’ to live on benefits. Even the figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that almost £10bn in benefits in 2015 went entirely unclaimed. Add to this the fact that housing benefit has already been frozen and welfare rates reduced, the truth is that any young person on benefits has a measly living. As many of us will remember, young LGBT+ population have no choice where they grow up. They often flee home for their own safety, not because they are seeking housing benefit.
So what is the future for young LGBT+ people? Less young people will come out fearing that they might end up on the streets, with no other safety net.
Are our young LGBT+ people being told that they must rough sleep? A damning indictment when all of the evidence tells us depression is already too prevalent for LGBT+ young people.
Our young people have a right to live freely, away from the emotional or physical abuse that surrounds their decision to come out. Any decent society should be helping young LGBT+ people start their adult lives in a positive fashion, not be damned by Tory ideology that implies the poorest people relish in living off state benefits and have plenty of other options.
Yours sincerely,
Councillor Phélim Mac Cafferty Convenor of the Green Group of Councillors, Brighton and Hove City Council and Green Group Spokesperson on the Policy and Resources Committee and Planning Committee
For the last 10 months she, her wife Clare 27 and their young child who is under two years old have been suffering an emergency accommodation nightmare.
Since the council accepted responsibility to provide the couple with emergency accommodation in May 2016, they have been moved nine times including out of the area to Hastings and Eastbourne where they say they had to share kitchen facilities with injecting drug users and a convicted murderer (housed after 10 years in prison).
Clare, a care leaver, who originally had her own business when she and her wife became homeless, says she’s worked hard to provide for her family.
She has ADHD and other mental health issues which normally she can control. Despite knowing this, the couple claim Brighton & Hove City Council have chosen to move the family into a smaller room than they presently have, in a fifth floor flat up 8/9 sets of stairs, in the ‘notorious’ emergency accommodation block, Percival Terrace.
This move is happening because government legislation says families with children can only stay in non self-contained accommodation for six weeks. However, the family were only given the letter telling them about the move on Friday, March 17 at 4.30pm and told if they do not accept the offer today, Monday 20 at noon, the Councils responsibility to provide them with emergency accommodation will be discharged.
The family feel a few days notice from deadline is grossly unfair and reject the suitability of Percival Terrace, as a safe alternative to their present accommodation, as does Clare’s Consultant Psychiatrist.
In a letter to their independent advocate, the women wrote:
“I am writing to voice my concerns regarding an offer of emergency accommodation made to me by the council. This is our 9th emergency placement since May last year when a full housing duty was accepted. We have been in several unsuitable and dangerous properties since being ‘Revenge Evicted’ from Baron Homes for reporting disrepair.
Currently we are in the Baytree in a non self-contained room. I have made a complaint to the council regarding rats in and around the building and also requested a suitability review.
BHCC have contacted me today and offered us a placement at Percival Terrace in a self-contained room. We viewed the room today and I have the following concerns:
Percival Terrace is obviously a bigger hostel style building than the Baytree. I suffer from Bipolar, Severe adult ADHD and PTSD. I am LGBT+ and a care leaver. I suffer from severe panic attacks and anxiety and this is made worse by being around so many people and witnessing anti social behaviour triggers manic/depressive episodes.
The room is on the 4th floor with roughly 8/9 sets of stairs to access it. This will be impossible for my wife to get in and out with our nearly 2-year-old son who suffers from delayed developmental issues due to the trauma caused by the unsettlement we have endured and lack of space to play and learn in most of the placements we have been in. We were also moved from room 23 at the Baytree last year by BHCC’s own admission due to being on the 3rd floor and struggling with the stairs. BHCC have admitted this in the stage 2 response from my complaint.
The room is smaller than the one we are in now and only has a microwave to prepare food in. BHCC are unable to help us move/store our belongings and we physically would not be able to fit our stuff in the room.
The room is dirty and has pipes all around the floor. I am concerned my son will burn himself when the heating is on. I also feel unsafe about opening the window in case of an accident as it only opens from the bottom.
I have seen a lot of worrying stories on social media regarding Percival Terrace as well and I believe there was an incident recently where a room on the same floor had the ceiling collapse already. This petrifies me.
The whole situation has had such a negative affect on both me and my family so far and I feel like we are now in crisis and am desperate for any support you may be able to offer. Shelter’s media team and the Local government Ombudsman are currently investigating my complaint but are unable to assist with any new incidents or further offers of accommodation.”
Finally the couple claim throughout the last year the council’s housing team have refused to acknowledge them as Mrs, evident in council correspondence where they are are referred to as Ms despite providing the council with their marriage certificate and asking to be acknowledged as Mrs.
Gscene have asked Brighton and Hove City Council to explain their housing guidelines for rehousing people with mental health issues in emergency accommodation and also confirm if the council’s heterosexual clients are referred to as Ms in council correspondence.
What do you think?
Should a young woman with mental health issues, a young child and wife to look after be placed in such accommodation?
Should the council’s priority be to keep this family together?
Regarding use of titles, the council’s responded saying it is their policy to use whichever title people identify with and ask them to use. They apologise if the couple asked to be called Mrs and this has not been done and promise to raise the issue with the council’s housing team.
A council spokesperson, continued: “We acknowledge the incredibly difficult circumstances all homeless households are experiencing, and place Mrs Hudson’s experience within the context of a very serious lack of affordable accommodation in Brighton & Hove.
We place a very great emphasis on early intervention to prevent homelessness. Since 2004, this authority has prevented nearly 11,000 households from becoming homeless.
Unfortunately for some, this is not possible and the council has to provide accommodation within the safety net of homelessness provisions. We very much regret that the Hudsons have had such a difficult experience.
Mrs Hudson’s case is currently being considered by the Housing Ombudsman. We have sent the Ombudsman a detailed response to the allegations that have been made. With legal correspondence ongoing and possible legal action pending it would not be appropriate for us to publicly divulge the detail of our response.
We are not aware of our providers evicting anyone in revenge of anything. Our investigations into specific cases have not found any evidence of this.
In general terms, the council investigates every eviction to consider the behaviour of the provider and that of the resident to ensure it is proportionate. Decisions about whether a housing duty is discharged are based on legislation and case-law.
When placing people in temporary accommodation we take into account all the written medical evidence that is made available to us. However, the accommodation that is available to us and affordable is very limited.
Where we have a duty under housing legislation to offer people temporary accommodation we always do so. Similarly, whenever we have a duty under social care legislation to offer people support we always do so.
As in many parts of the UK, there is a serious shortage of affordable permanent and temporary accommodation in the city. We therefore work with landlords in areas that are within reach of Brighton & Hove by public transport in order to offer accommodation to people for whom we have a duty to find accommodation.
All households are offered the opportunity to obtain alternative private rented accommodation. We also assist people to obtain social housing in areas of the country where there is less demand and where they can be housed quickly if this what they would prefer. These options remains open to Mrs Hudson.
We understand that the temporary accommodation we offer is basic and does not meet the aspirations of people to have a permanent home. However, all our contracted temporary accommodation has specified standards including the management.
We undertake regular inspections to ensure standards are adhered to or work is in hand to remedy disrepair and damages – which are inevitable with a high turnover of homeless households who have a range of needs. There will occasionally be incidents which our accommodation providers cannot prevent, but we are satisfied that such issues are managed swiftly and effectively.”
In a report to the Housing and New Homes Committee on Wednesday, January 18, 2017 it is mentioned there were 11,520 council properties in Brighton and Hove. A year ago, in February 2016, there were 11,650.
A gay man with no use or feeling in legs remains ‘trapped’ in unsuitable temporary accommodation in Hove despite promises from Brighton & Hove City Council on October 12 to find somewhere more suitable for him with wheel chair access.
Robert Carver 32, has been living in second floor temporary council accommodation that has no lift, for the last 5 years. During that time his condition has deteriorated considerably, especially in the last 6 months.
Robert says:” I am a paraplegic, with no use or feeling in either of my legs. I started suffering from a disease five years ago which is so rare that a formal accurate diagnosis is not available, but is most likely to have been caused by a brain virus.”
Clinical investigations are ongoing but Robert says his condition is totally irreversible and his health has deteriorated considerably in recent months.
For the past two years, he has been unable to walk or use his legs and remains in second floor, temporary council accommodation, with a steep and narrow staircase, which is clearly totally unsuitable for the needs of someone who cannot use their legs.
He says his social worker and many council professionals have witnessed his situation first hand. This includes having, when he leaves the flat to go to hospital appointments, to have to lower himself using his arms and bouncing his bottom down the steep staircase to get out of the flat. Often he falls in the process hurting himself.
When he returns to the flat after medical appointments, Robert says: “It can take anything from an hour or more with assistance to pull myself up, step by step. How can that be fair, safe or reasonable?”
The flat is tiny and cramped, and none of the doorways are suitable for wheelchairs so he has to pull himself around on the floor, dragging his dead legs behind him.
There is little space in the bathroom for his part-time carer to help him and getting into his bath is very dangerous.
All of this means he is constantly damaging his bones and joints. He claims the damage is so bad that his doctors are refusing to embark on new treatments which could ease his condition until he is moved to more suitable accommodation.
In recent weeks, Robert says his condition has dramatically deteriorated. He can no longer move from his sofa and on the two days his 18-year-old carer is off, he is sometimes left without food, drink or the ability to go to the toilet or get washed.
Robert uses adult nappies and says that sometimes he has to sit in his own faeces until the next day when his carer returns.
He says:“I need accessible ground floor accommodation as a matter of urgency. I also now require a live-in carer, instead of the 28 hours per week I get at the moment, so I need a two bedroom property with suitable wheelchair access.”
His present flat is tiny, making the use of a wheelchair very difficult if not impossible.
He continues:“Currently I cannot use a wheelchair in this flat and due to my worsening condition I now have to be pulled around on the floor like an animal by my carer if he has to move me.
“It seems I am rather lost in the system. I get frustrated with my social worker as she seems not to be able to help me in the slightest and my young age seems to be a discriminating factor towards me getting the correct level of assistance. Why was I only classified as Level 1 on the mobility level three months ago?”
In desperation, in early October, Robert posted details of his plight on Facebook asking for help.
He wrote:“I would appreciate any assistance anyone could offer in rectifying all these matters and to end my suffering. No one should have to live like this.”
Robert claims in the last five years he has only ever been offered one other property by the Council, a property which Caroline Lucas the MP for Brighton Pavilion says is not suitable for housing vulnerable people.
ITV news brought Robert’s situation to the attention of their viewers when they ran a news story on Meridian on October 12.
At the time the council issued the following statement to ITN news:“We are aware that Mr. Carver’s condition has deteriorated and we also recognise that his current accommodation is unsuitable. We’ve recently acquired some emergency accommodation with wheel chair adapted units and were hoping to move him in on an interim basis in the next couple of weeks. Unfortunately there is an acute shortage of accommodation available that is suitable for his needs.”
Since that statement the Council have offered Mr Carver a bungalow in Whitehawk that was not wheelchair accessible and a ground floor studio in emergency accommodation in central Brighton notorious for damp, drug-use, drug-dealing and anti social behaviour, described by Caroline Lucas MP for Brighton Pavilion as being unsuitable for disabled people and previously ruled out by Brighton & Hove Council when they withdrew an offer of the property to Mr Carver in March 2016.
Robert has confirmed to Gscene that in the last 5 years he was never made aware that there was a dedicated LGBT housing officer working in the council’s housing team.
Brighton and Hove City council withdrew the LGBT housing post in June last year and has chosen not to respond to Gscene’s enquiry as to when that decision was made and which LGBT+ community groups were consulted by the Council’s housing department before making the decision to withdraw the post.
A Brighton woman has been convicted of common assault and harassment without violence against a transgender woman after appearing before city magistrates on Thursday (March 30).
Isla Speirs, 31, of Regency Square, Brighton, was convicted after trial of common assault on September 11, 2016 and harassment without violence between September 12 and 27, 2016.
Ms Speirs was given a 12-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement, a 12 month Restraining Order and ordered to pay £50 compensation to the victim.
Speirs targeted a woman in Brighton with transphobic abuse on a number of occasions throughout September 2016, as well as assaulting her by throwing a cup of coffee over her.
Sgt Peter Allan
Sussex Police hate crime sergeant, Peter Allan said:“I am pleased the court has convicted the defendant in this case. No-one should be targeted in such a personal and public way because of who they are.
This sentence sends out a clear signal that we will take a robust approach to those who target individuals based on their disability, gender identity, race, religion or sexual orientation.
I hope this case will encourage other victims of hate to report such behaviour to the police. We appreciate how difficult it can be for victims and witnesses to give evidence and I am pleased the court agreed the victim could give her evidence from behind a screen and that Speirs was not allowed to cross-examine the victim directly. It is essential that we are able to reassure victims and witnesses that we will offer them as much support as possible to enable them to present their evidence in the best way for them.”
To report a Hate crime to the police emailing 101@sussex.pnn.police.uk or call 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Last night a group of LGBT+ activists dumped manure and released cockroaches on the red carpet at the London Property Awards.
The action blocked off the annual celebration of “an industry which leaves queer youth homeless on the streets of London” and in the process property developers in tuxedos were forced to scuttle into the Grosvenor House Hotel through the back door.
The Sexual Avengers are a network of campaigns and individuals campaigning for queer rights through direct action and community building.
They recently made national headlines after putting a queer spin on the famous English Heritage blue plaque campaign, placing subversive blue plaques on the House of Lords and other London landmarks.
The action was intended to remind attendees at the £3,000-a-table dinner that their profits are sucked from a system which is responsible for the oppression, homelessness and deaths of queer people.
A spokesperson for the group said:“They are celebrating on the bodies of our brothers, sisters and non-binary allies”.
Research shows one in four UK homeless youth are LGBT+, and this figure is rising by 20 per cent each year.
1 in 4 UK LGB people and 4 out of 5 trans people have experienced domestic violence, while queer people are 2 to 3 times more likely to experience mental health issues.
These vulnerable queer people work in disproportionately precarious careers without access to family or support networks, and urgently need affordable social housing to survive.
A spokesperson for Sexual Avengers, said:“We are at the mercy of the housing market, where landlords and letting-agents condemn us to live in unsafe flats among filth and vermin. Property developers have grown rich by building multi-million pound housing projects, gentrifying working-class, multicultural areas and driving impoverished queer people away from support networks and into the street.”
The Sexual Avengers are demanding:
♦ Social housing built for need not greed: with 60,000 new genuinely affordable homes per year being built as a minimum.
♦ The provision of queer-specific homeless support services, and an end to irresponsible luxury developments driving working class people away from their support networks through gentrification.
♦ The scrapping of Help to Buy and Right to Buy, which systematically breaks up the social housing system and inner-city communities so many LGBT+ rely on.
♦ A rent cap pegged to the average income and council housing rent rates.
Sexual Avenger Stacey Jones, said: “My partner died of cancer last April, and they wanted to kick me out in May. They couldn’t understand how I could be in a relationship with a woman when I had a child. I’d just lost my partner and had to sit there and justify my sexuality. Why did I deserve the house where we lived, where I cared for her and where she died?
“Property developers need to build for need not greed. I’ve been homeless twice, and I’d be on the streets now if it wasn’t for Stonewall. The number of empty properties and the number of people on the streets –it’s madness.”
Sexual Avengers say they exist to:
♦ Avenge decades of criminalisation and oppression
♦ Avenge the silencing of radical queer history
♦ Avenge the sanitation of the queer identity
♦ Avenge the pacification, separation and isolation of the queer community
Sexual Avengers is queer led but welcomes all genders and sexualities at their meetings every Wednesday from 6.30-8.30pm in East London.
Clive Goodall, of Hawthorn Bank, pleaded guilty to the breach at Brighton Magistrates Court on March 28, 2017.
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