Seagull Weekly Briefing 03/04
All the top stories from across the city.
Good morning, and welcome to the Brighton Seagull's Monday Briefing! Sorry about Saturday, we've finally got those pesky seagulls out of the system. Phew!
Our featured article this week was Kristian Floate on the threat to famous Brighton music venue The Prince Albert:
The Brighton Seagull
Content warning: the first story involves a sensitive subject which may upset some readers.
News This Week
3% of children under Sussex Police strip searched over four-year period
A reported 50 children, or 3% of the children stopped and searched by Sussex Police, were strip searched by the police force over the last four years, a Children's Commissioner report has revealed.
The report, which looked at strip searches from 2018 to the middle of 2022, revealed that children between the ages of eight and 17 were subjected to this 'intrusive and potentially traumatic' examination, so says the children's commissioner for England, Dame Rachel De Souza.
She said:
Across England and Wales, police are strip searching children as part of stop and searches and there is evidence of deeply concerning practice. My findings include evidence of widespread non-compliance with the statutory safeguards in place to protect children, including the lack of Appropriate Adults in more than half of searches and strip searches being conducted in schools, police vehicles, and within public view.
She described her 'serious concerns' around poor-quality record-keeping, which means the numbers reported 'may only be a minimum'.
She went on to say:
I do not see a working system of safeguards. I see a fundamentally reactive and permissive system that places too much reliance on non-specialist frontline officers always doing the right thing, with no system of scrutiny to ensure that vital safeguards are being met, and little consideration of the impact of a potentially traumatic power on vulnerable children.
It bears repeating that there is sustained attention on this issue not because of a police whistle-blower or a damning inspection report, but the bravery of a girl to speak up about a traumatic thing that happened to her.
The girl in question is Child Q, who was searched by Metropolitan Police officers at her school in 2020 when she was 15-years-old after she was wrongly suspected of carrying cannabis.
Nationally, 2,847 strip searches were performed. The report revealed that 52% happened without an appropriate adult confirmed to be present, and 45% of search locations were not recorded.
Some forces did not respond, so the true number is expected to be higher.
According to the report, a strip search involves removing clothing 'exposing intimate parts' and 'must be conducted as quickly as possible; with regard for dignity, sensitivity, and vulnerability; and minimise embarrassment by not requiring the child to remove all clothes at once'. No more than two people may be present, they must be the same sex as the child being searched, and an appropriate adult must be present (except for urgency due to risk of serious harm, or if the child refuses).
It is the most intrusive search police can perform under stop and search powers.
A spokesperson for Sussex Police said:
Stop and search powers play an important role in helping us tackle crime and keep people safe.
However, it is vital that these powers are used appropriately with the right safeguards and fully explained to those who are stop and searched, or to their parents or guardians if they are a child.
We are committed to ensuring the safety of children and young people in our communities.
Additional safeguards were placed on these searches going forward, with all of them being carried out in our custody centres which provide a safe and secure environment and in the presence of an appropriate adult.
All of the strip searches of children that occur are thoroughly reviewed to ensure that they are both legal and the right thing to do, understanding the huge impact and trauma that a child may feel as a result of the search.
The South East had the highest figures outside of London (with London having had 899 searches), and has the highest percentage of the population who were strip searched at 16%.
However, when compared with every Police Force Area that responded, the relative search rate of Sussex Police is just below average.
Labour councillor Robert McIntosh dies, aged 72
The Seagull was saddened to learn of the death of Labour Councillor Robert McIntosh, who died in the morning of Saturday 1st April at the age of 72.
After winning a by-election in Rottingdean Coastal last May (the first time Labour had ever won a seat there), he announced a recent diagnosis of bowel cancer, following routine screening. Despite surgery, he was unable to resume his duties as councillor.
Brighton and Hove Labour Party released a statement in which they described Councillor McIntosh's disappointment and frustration 'that he was unable to participate fully in council duties'.
They said:
Robert was a hard worker, straightforward with his views and extremely committed to the causes he believed in.
He built a Labour Party branch in Rottingdean Coastal which convinced residents in one of the safest Tory wards in the city that Labour was a party fit to represent all residents.
Labour members will miss Robert’s calls asking them to attend a meeting or deliver leaflets.
But we will continue door-knocking and listening to residents in both the May council elections and future campaigns, because that’s what he would have wanted – for us all to keep on keeping on with the fight for social justice and a fairer, more equitable world.
He was a dedicated campaigner, and not just in Labour circles—his PhD was in South African history and he grew up campaigning against apartheid. He was also a loyal defender of the EU and electoral reform, to the extent that Lloyd Russell-Moyle MP said 'he almost made me look a moderate on these issues... There wasn't an EU rally without him proudly waving his banner'.
Rottingdean & West Saltdean Labour Party paid their respects to Councillor McIntosh, saying:
He was a selfless internationalist who championed people and education, with a passion for classical music. He lived based on the principles of integrity, confronting prejudice in all its manifestations, and dedication to his friends.
Peter Kyle, MP for Hove, described him as a 'wise and principled man'; Lloyd Russell-Moyle paid tribute to Councillor McIntosh, saying:
An educator by profession no one worked harder for the causes he believed in than Robert. He built a branch in Rottingdean Coastal, which turned one of the safest Tory wards in the city red.
I know this is something he was so proud of, and it's something we all admired him greatly for.
Labour members will miss his calls asking them to attend a meeting or deliver leaflets, and I will miss seeing him at his specially dedicated table in the office (which had the results of the by-election pinned above it).
His legacy lives on, and we will keep up the struggle for a Labour council. We'll be back out doorknocking and leafleting because that's exactly what he would have wanted.
Our editor was glad to call Councillor McIntosh a friend, and will miss him dearly.
Volk's Electric Railway returns!
After concerns that wet weather would render the opening of the Volk's Electric Railway a washout, the clouds cleared, the sun came out and the railway finally reopened after (what felt like) a long winter for its 140th year.
Officially opened by Nicholas Owen (former BBC newsreader, current Classic FM presenter, and the voice on the trams in Croydon!), trains were full as passengers enjoyed the reopening of the heritage railway.
Mr Owen praised the Volk's Electric Railway staff and Volk's Electric Railway Association (VERA) volunteers, wishing the railway a wonderful 140th anniversary and praising VERA's chairman, Ian Gledhill, who has been in post for nearly 25 years.
To find out more about the Volk's Electric Railway, including opening times and fares, click here.
🖋 News in Brief 🖋
- Brighton & Hove’s toy library service is relaunching tomorrow at 10am at Whitehawk Library, which will be the toy library's main hub. To welcome the service back, there will be an event for children, parents and carers at the library, with performances of ‘Toy Quest’ at 10:30am and 2:30pm and refreshments available. Two smaller toy collections are in Coldean Library and Portslade Library.
- If you park anywhere in Brighton and Hove, you should know the council are removing all Pay & Display machines as we speak, with all machines set to be gone by Wednesday 31st May. They ask that people use the Pay by Phone app instead. Apparently it will save the council £220,000 in 2023/24.
- We now have more information about the new e-bikes! They cost 15p a minute, and are meant to be used within a specific zone, the seafront between Portslade and Rottingdean, and up to both Brighton and Hove Railway Stations. If they are left locked up outside of this zone, there will be a £10 charge, rising to £80 after 24 hours. The Seagull believes this boundary will widen as more hubs are introduced. Click here to find out more about the fares.
- Entry to Brighton Museum & Art Gallery is no longer free for residents. It costs £6.75, which will allow you unlimited entry for one year.
The Big One
Labour, Green Party, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats all launch manifestos ahead of May election
What's happening? Manifestos from the various political parties in Brighton are coming out ahead of the May election: Conservatives, Greens, Labour and Liberal Democrats. We know UKIP Brighton & Hove, Brighton and Hove Independents, Friends of Brighton and Hove and Real Friends of Brighton and Hove exist, but cannot find any evidence of a 2023 manifesto.
Exciting! Very!
What do they all promise to do? Who do you want first?
Let's go alphabetically. Okay, here's the highlights of what the Conservative Party has pledged:
- To sort out rubbish and recycling collections—their 'number one priority'
- Cut weeds and verges
- Fix council housing stock
- Reinstate Public Space Protection Orders, apply for funding to install more CCTV and lighting and enforce by-laws to improve community safety
- Reopen face-t0-face council services
Greens? They've promised:
- To improve air quality by expanding the city’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) into a London-style zone
- To improve recycling by introducing a food waste collection and moving to weekly recycling collections
- To build 800 more sustainable council homes by 2028
- The introduction of landlord licensing
- The building of a new sports facility in the west of the city
Labour? They've pledged to:
- Restore the city’s basic services, including protecting nurseries, libraries, toilets and more from further cuts
- Deliver decent, affordable homes for all and rights for people who rent, including landlord licensing 'as a top priority' and reviewing the allocation policy for council homes
- Combat climate change, investing in heat pumps, solar panels, wind and wave power, and challenging Southern Water over discharging sewage in seas and the growth and maintenance of kelp farms
- Supporting communities through the cost-of-living crisis, supporting food banks and setting up community hubs
- Provide quality education for all children and young people
Liberal Democrats? They've pledged:
- To 'get Brighton & Hove moving', looking at how bikes, cars and buses integrate across the city, researching the introduction of a tram system on the seafront, and repainting road markings
- To introduce regular surgeries with police and residents, removing all unlicensed A-boards and re-thinking the provision of a local safe space for drug users
- To support rough sleepers and addicts with more funding for schemes that support them, license all short-term accommodation, and build more affordable housing
- To support small business with an active small business forum, freezing business rates for certain businesses, and proposing Brighton as an eco-tourist destination
- To expand free school meals to all children on Universal Credit, build more all-weather pitches in parks, and redistribute benches more equally between parks
- To increase recycling collections, introduce food waste collections, and to create spaces where items no longer wanted can be left for others to take
When is the election? Thursday 4th May.
What do I need to take with me? For the first time, you need to take ID in order to vote. Click here to read more about that.
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