Latest news with #andHoveCityCouncil
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Council order owner to repaint over Palestinian flag beach hut on iconic seafront because it does not adhere to 'standards'
A Labour-led council have ordered an owner to repaint over their Palestinian flag beach hut on an 'iconic' seafront, claiming that it fails to adhere to 'standards'. Brighton and Hove City Council have declared that Alison Leasley, who has had her beloved beach hut for six years, is in breach of her beach hut licence as strictly vertical stripes or a solid colour are permitted. The retired psychotherapist, who described the decision as 'pathetic', was initially told she had just three days to remove the design, though this was later extended to a week. Were she not to remove the flag, which the council say has received numerous complaints, the public body insisted they would do it themselves and then charge her for the work. In an email addressed to Ms Lesley, a member of the council said that the body have a 'very strict policy on the presentation of beach huts'. Defending their decision, they added that the Palestinian flag 'is likely to interfere with community cohesion', with the likelihood of causing 'distress and upset'. Speaking to The Argus, Ms Leasley described the decision as 'one-sided' and 'unfair', arguing that another beach hut along the popular stretch of seafront has been painted with a French flag for the last two years. She said: 'I told the council for every one person who has made a complaint I can find ten that would approve.' The 77-year-old insisted that the beach hut was painted in a bid to show support for those in Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. Local councillor Birgit Miller, cabinet member for culture, heritage and tourism, told the Argus that the public body had asked Ms Lesley to repaint the beach hut 'as the current design doesn't adhere to the licence agreement and painting standards'. Adding that the beach huts along the seafront are an 'iconic feature' and should therefore be protected as such, Cllr Miller said: 'It's important licence holders comply with their agreements'. Members of the Hove Beach Hut Association, a local forum for residents who own their own residence along the beachfront, shared mixed responses regarding the council's decision. While one declared they could 'only hope' that Ms Lesley removed her license as a result of the controversial painting, another insisted that the 'fun police' should 'get a life', arguing that the decision was unjustified. In October 2023, Brighton and Hove Council announced controversial plans for a 10 per cent effective sales tax for beach hut owners in a bid to plug a £70million black hole in its budget. The fee, based on the sale price from April 2023, was proposed by councillors in lieu of raising the annual £503.60 licence fee and ownership transfer fee of £82 if they sell up. However, owners of the iconic huts insisted that the terms of the licences amounted to 'extortion' and accused the council of 'bullying' and 'coercive behaviour'. With huts selling for up to £35,000, the decision could mean that owners have to pay the council a massive £3,500. 'This is outrageous. It is nothing other than a stealth tax,' said Paula Ford, who has owned a beach hut for 30 years, 'It's a shocking move by the council and they should be ashamed of themselves. 'The huts don't belong to the council. They are privately owned by us, but we just site them on land owned by the council.' There are 459 beach huts on Hove seafront that are privately owned by residents in the seaside resort, with the annual cost of licences generating around £192,000 for the council. According the council, the value of these huts has risen to a range of between £25,000 and £35,000, depending on their location and condition. David and Susie Howells, who have owned their beach hut for 20 years, said: 'The beach huts on the promenade are a much-photographed attraction and beach hut owners all play our part as a community that adds value to the seafront experience for both residents and visitors to Brighton and Hove.' Serena Mitchell, who bought her hut in 2017, also described the proposals as a 'stealth tax'. She said: 'They use the word 'fee' as councils are not legally allowed to charge a tax on property sales. The Government can and do.' Ms Ford (pictured) said: 'This is outrageous. It is nothing other than a stealth tax. 'The huts don't belong to the council. They are privately owned by us, but we just site them on land owned by the council' Councillor Alan Robins, chair of the council's culture, heritage, sport, tourism and economic development committee, said: 'Currently the council is not benefitting in any way from the profit made on the sale of a beach hut when most of the value is due to its prime position on the seafront. 'If the transfer fee is introduced, then the additional revenue can be reinvested back into seafront services such as our lifeguards. 'It's an extremely challenging time for local government finances, and the potential income will go towards providing essential life-saving services while offering council land for hut owners to enjoy the seafront.'
BBC News
12-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Hove: Hecklers disrupt bowling club's alcohol licence hearing
Angry hecklers disrupted a virtual council meeting in which a bowling club was applying for permission to sell alcohol. A licensing panel hearing on Monday was interrupted by angry neighbours of Hove and Kingsway Bowling Club alleging previous anti-social behaviour and noise incidents from the complained of loud rock bands curtailing her "human rights" to have her windows open during the summer. But a spokesperson for the club, which has 700 members, said there had been no such complaints since it relocated to a new site nearby two months ago. Now part of the outdoor sports hub building created as part of Brighton and Hove City Council's £15m seafront revamp, the club's change of address has necessitated it having to reapply for an alcohol permit. The club, described as "a bit overzealous" with its previous events, has applied to sell alcohol from 11:00 to midnight Monday to Saturday. Some residents spoke of people urinating outside after leaving one Christmas party and asked for assurances that alcohol would only be sold to club said their requests for "moderation and a reasonable set of behaviour" had so far been the club's agent, Nick Semper, founder of The Licensing Guys, said the hearing concerned the current application only, not a review of what might have gone on before. He said there was no evidence of disorder or complaints in the papers presented to the panel, but conceded the club could install a noise limiter if required. Neighbours were also given assurances that events would not spill outside onto the bowling greens. Neither the council's licensing or environmental health teams objected to the application, although the latter asked for the club's doors and windows to stay closed unless people were arriving or panel - councillors David McGregor, Ivan Lyons and Alison Thomson - retired to reach their decision, which should be made public within five working days.
BBC News
31-01-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Brighton and Hove: Parents protest at proposed school changes
Parents concerned about proposals to change secondary school admissions staged a protest outside council offices on and Hove City Council in East Sussex wants to reduce the intake at three secondary schools, introducing an open admission policy and change the catchment areas for Longhill and Varndean and Dorothy authority said this will give parents more some parents claim it could mean up to 250 pupils having to travel long distances to get to school. Dozens of parents protested outside Hove Town Hall before a meeting of the full council on eight-week consultation into the plans ends on Friday. Parent Sally Bunkham said: "These plans would mean friendship groups would be completely broken up across the city, children would be sent in different directions away from their community, spending loads of time commuting."It's not increasing choice, it's slightly increasing chance for some families."Another parent, Anna Mouser, said: "Only one in four kids who don't have an older sibling are going to be going to their local school."We're talking about over an hour's travel each way for children who are 11. It won't actually fix anything, it's moving kids around like numbers on a spreadsheet." Jacob Taylor, deputy leader of the Labour-run council, said the authority was trying to tackle several problems."We have falling pupil numbers and we have to address that issue" he said."There has been a long standing issue where some people feel their choice of schools is not as broad as others, so it's about saying 'could we have a fairer system?'"Some parents in the central areas don't feel that this system is fair for them, and we have to weigh that up in the consultation."He said more than 3,000 people have responded to the consultation.
