⛸️Rented housing debate, ice rink open to skate, Pav Gardens to 'reawake' and more😴

Good morning, and welcome to the Brighton Seagull's Monday Briefing! Welcome to all of you joining us who are new, and welcome back to those of you who are here week to week; we appreciate all of you, and hope you had a very spoooooky weekend!

Brighton MP preparing to lead on private rental debate

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Kemptown and Peacehaven, is preparing to lead on a debate regarding problems in privately rented housing this Thursday.

The debate has been backed by 30 MPs cross-party, and is co-sponsored by Natalie Elphicke, MP for Dover.

Mr Russell-Moyle, who is also the chair of the APPG for Renters and Rental Reform, is currently taking submissions on 'rental horror stories', to be emailed to lloyd@russell-moyle.co.uk that can be used as examples in the debate.

He said:

Renters are suffering from 20%+ inflation in the cost of rents far above other forms of inflation.

This is compounded by landlords evicting tenants to cash in on higher rent prices, something that could be stopped by ending 'no fault'  evictions.

The Government has proposed changes to law around tenancies but due to the chaos at the very top the changes have been gathering dust.

Next Thursday we have the opportunity to put reform back on the agenda. If you or someone you know has a rental horror story please email me on lloyd@russell-moyle.co.uk and I can put these stories on the record as I make the case for change.

By-election in Wish ward next month

A by-election will be held in Wish ward next month, following the death of councillor Garry Peltzer Dunn, who was a councillor for more than 50 years, last month.

Two candidates have been announced so far: Bella Sankey for Labour, and Peter Revell, for the Conservatives.

Bella, 39, studied law at Cambridge and later worked as the policy director for Liberty. Since 2018 she has been the director of Detention Action, a charity campaigning for detention reform.

Peter, 59, is a retired solicitor who in the Nineties was a county councillor in Essex, and is currently the secretary of the Hove Beach Huts Association.

Tuesday 22nd November is the last day to register to vote, which you can do here. Polling day is Thursday, 8th December, with votes counted and results shared on Friday, 9th December.

🖋 News in Brief 🖋

• After the devastating news that Kemptown is no longer cool, we've got some good news: TimeOut has named Seven Dials one of the 12 coolest neighbourhoods in the UK.
• The ice rink at the Royal Pavilion is now open! Team Seagull are very much the 'hobble around the perimeter clinging to the barrier, wrap up warm with a hot chocolate afterwards' team but we're sure some of you are the next Sonja Henie. Fueled by renewable energy, it costs £12 for 45 minutes of skating if you're 12+, from 10am to 10pm daily. To find out more, click here.
• Seems to be a lot of confusion this year over where the fireworks are, but we’re here to clear it up: Preston Park, Wednesday, open from 4pm, display around 8pm. There are some other displays in Brighton but this is our fave. Usual warnings around not going to Lewes due to crowds etc. We hope you enjoy the fireworks, unless you’re a dog or cat of a nervous disposition in which case we hope you find a nice sofa to hide behind.
  UPDATE: event has been cancelled due to bad weather with no alternative date set.
• And finally, congratulations to the first ever graduates of WaterBear music college! You can see a nice little video they put together of the day here.

What's happening? Royal Pavilion Gardens are set to be revitalised, following plans unveiled by Brighton and Hove Museums at a community event last Wednesday (October 26th).

Exciting! Why? The gardens are currently deemed to be 'at risk' by Historic England because of overuse (they're visited by more than three million people every year); the plans to 'reawaken' them include reducing vandalism, crime, litter and restoring parts of the gardens to their former Regency splendour.

What do people want to see? Following an initial public consultation, people want more places to sit and rest, more events and less antisocial and threatening behaviour. The plans will see the gardens' lampposts restored, wider paths, an outdoor learning space, and 'enhanced' planting beds and lawns. Events will include a Regency festival, guided tours, and teddy bear picnics for families.

Hedley Swain, CEO of Brighton and Hove Museums, said:

As a unique Regency garden, designed by John Nash for George IV, it is a living museum which urgently needs to be restored to its original glory. At the moment, the garden is classified as ‘at risk’ by Historic England from overuse with over 3 million people visiting each year. The garden is suffering from too much litter, damage to planting and wildlife, crime and anti-social behaviour.

We’ve received funding from Brighton & Hove City Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to explore how we improve the garden to restore it to its original Regency glory and to keep it a safe environment for everyone.

Alongside this we hope to increase learning opportunities, improve access and develop ways in which visitors can discover its history. Three priority audiences – people with disabilities, children and young people, and people with mental health issues – have been identified to help us transform the way we engage with visitors to the garden and to improve wellbeing.

Is there a way to comment on plans? It is hoped by Brighton and Hove Museums that a planning application will be submitted to the council in March 2023. Watch this space!