In the last seven days, Brighton and Hove Council has held two significant meetings: the Audit, Standards & General Purposes Committee on Tuesday 25 June 2024 and the Cabinet on Thursday 27 June 2024. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the key decisions and discussions from these meetings.

Audit, Standards & General Purposes Committee

Meeting Transcript

Annual Governance Statement

The committee approved the council's Annual Governance Statement for 2023-24. Officers highlighted the main changes to the statement, which included an updated summary of the council’s activities over the past year. The committee also discussed the budget and resources available to the Corporate Leadership Team and received assurances that these resources were adequate.

Reports from Internal Audit, External Audit, and the Counter Fraud Team

The committee heard presentations from the council's Internal Audit team, Grant Thornton (the external auditors), and the counter-fraud team.

• Internal Audit: The team presented their annual report and opinion, concluding that the council has adequate arrangements in place to achieve its objectives. The report summarised the work carried out over the year.
• External Audit: Grant Thornton presented their audit plan for the coming year and summarised their assessment of the council's risk environment.
• Counter Fraud: The team provided an overview of their activities over the year.

Cabinet

Meeting Transcript

Thriving Communities Fund

The Cabinet agreed to consult on proposals for a new Thriving Communities Fund. If approved, this fund would total £300,000 per year for three years and would make grants of between £5,000 and £30,000 to voluntary and community organisations. The council aims to work with the voluntary sector to ensure that people, communities and places thrive. The report highlighted that:

The voluntary and community sector has a vital role in supporting people, building strong and resilient communities and helping everyone to access the opportunities that the city has to offer.

Violence Against Women and Girls

Cabinet approved a new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategic Direction 2024 to 2028. The strategy aims to improve the council's response to this critical issue. A consultation on the strategy found strong support for all seven proposed priorities.

Homewood College

The Cabinet agreed to consult on the future of Homewood College, which provides specialist education for children with social, emotional, and mental health needs. The consultation will focus on a proposal to close the college and transfer pupils to other schools. This follows a review of safety at the college after an incident in July 2023. Councillors emphasised:

The best interests of the young people currently attending Homewood College must be our primary consideration.

A259 Cycle Lane

Plans for a new cycle lane on the A259 were sent back to the drawing board. The plans had attracted significant objections from residents, as they would have reduced the speed limit to 20mph and led to the loss of parking spaces on the route between the King Alfred Leisure Centre and West Street. Councillors voted to defer a decision and asked officers to explore alternative options. They are obliged under the Traffic Management Act 2004 to give adequate consideration to public objections.

Budget Monitoring

The Cabinet considered a report on the council's finances and agreed to several budget adjustments. The report showed a forecasted overspend of £1.2m for 2024/25, attributed to one-off exceptional costs. However, the council remains on track to deliver a balanced budget in future years. The council is legally obliged under the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to set a balanced budget each year.

These meetings reflect the council’s ongoing efforts to address key issues and ensure the well-being of its residents.