Greens Criticise A Lack Of Seafront Development Board Political Balance

Green councillors took aim at Labour as the membership of a new Seafront Development Board was announced in a meeting at Hove Town Hall.

They said that the ruling party had packed the board with Labour politicians, questioned the process for choosing the chair and asking whether anyone else was considered for the role.

They accused Labour of damaging public trust by giving out “jobs for the boys” in a way that would undermine the integrity and independence of the board’s leadership and advice.

But the Labour deputy leader of the council, Jacob Taylor, hit back, saying that the board had an advisory role so the need for political balance did not arise.

And he defended the decision to appoint Labour peer Steve Bassam, who sits in the House of Lords as Lord Bassam of Brighton, to chair the board.

Councillor Taylor, the vice-chair of the seafront board, said that Lord Bassam, a former leader of the council, had chaired a Lords select committee on regenerating seaside towns, producing a widely respected landmark report in 2019.

While some were disappointed not to have been selected, Councillor Tayor added:

“There was a fantastic response. More than 90 people applied to be part of the board, leading to a rigorous and competitive selection process.”

The board is intended to encourage investment and development along Brighton and Hove’s seafront, from Saltdean to Portslade, and starting with the stretch between the Marina and the Palace Pier.

At a meeting of Brighton and Hove City Council’s cabinet on Thursday (17 July), Green councillor Raphael Hill asked:

“Through what process was Lord Steve Bassam chosen for the position as chair?

“Were other people given the chance to put themselves forward for the role? And on what criteria was Lord Bassam chosen?”

But Councillor Hill was frustrated when Councillor Taylor did not answer the key thrust of his questions.

The Labour deputy leader said that Lord Bassam, formerly a long-serving government minister, had a particularly relevant background and set of skills was well suited to the job.

Councillor Taylor said:

“He is acknowledged as being one of the leading voices in arguing for more funding, support and regeneration of our seaside towns. I think he’s going to be a superb chair.”

The Labour leader of the council, Bella Sankey, said:

“We are very lucky to have Lord Steve Bassam to chair this board.”

Councillor Hill said:

“Sorry, you have not answered the question to do with the process. Could I get an answer to the question? I do think I should get a response.”

Councillor Sankey said:

“You’ve had the answer to your question. If you want to put another question in writing to a future meeting, you can. But you’ve had the answer to your question today.”

Brighton and Hove Independent councillor Bridget Fishleigh said:

“Bad luck, Councillor Hill.”

Councillor Fishleigh asked:

“Do you agree that including a current community activist who lives locally such as the lovely Derek Wright on the Seafront Development Board would be a good idea?”

Councillor Taylor said:

“Derek Wright is not just a great community activist, he’s an asset to the whole city … and has a great love for the city. We work closely with Derek on many, many things and we (will) continue to do so.

“In terms of the process of applications, we had an open and rigorous process to join the board.

"We received over 90 applications for effectively nine places.

“The people we propose to appoint have great breadth and depth of experience and will bring huge insight to the future of our seafront.

“We’re always looking at ways to ensure we can engage residents, including those who were not successful, in the process on the work of both the board and the council.”

Green councillor Pete West said:

“The proposed Seafront Development Board will have considerable power of influence and will make recommendations to the cabinet.

“While board membership is proposed to include several members of the Labour administration, members of the official opposition are excluded.

“With no diversity of elected political representation, how will it be possible to ensure it meets the stated expectation that the ‘board is broadly representative of the wider community’?”

Councillor Taylor said that the board did not have “sub-committee status” so the rules about political balance did not apply – and it was an advisory board not a decision-making body.

The Green councillor also asked about the appointment of Lord Bassam, who was ennobled by the former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Councillor West said that Lord Bassam was a “guru” to Councillor Sankey and added:

“This is a political appointment which risks undermining the integrity and independence of the board’s leadership and advice.

“Is it not, in fact, a prime example of the sort of ‘jobs for the boys’ nepotism that has so damaged public trust in government in recent years?”

Councillor Taylor said “no” and added that the question was cynical and could undermine public trust because the nine people appointed were just trying to improve people’s lives in the city.

The council later said that no external consultants had been involved in the recruitment process which attracted more than 90 candidates.

The council added:

“Interviews were not held. Officers reviewed the candidates with the chair and deputy chair. All positions on the board are voluntary (unpaid).”

As well as Lord Bassam, 72, and Councillor Taylor, the board includes two other Labour councillors, whose appointment had been announced previously.

They were Birgit Miller, 62, the council’s cabinet member for culture, heritage and tourism, and Julie Cattell, 69, former chair of the council’s Planning Committee and currently the council’s lead member for major projects.

The other eight members were approved by the council’s cabinet at its meeting on Thursday. They were

Rob Sloper, 44, is a senior development director at Landsec U+I, a specialist mixed-use regeneration developer, and owner of Brighton Marina. He has previously been involved in a number of major projects in Brighton and Hove.

Simon Lambor, 35, is a director of Matsim, the Brighton family business that owns the Kingswest building, which houses the Odeon cinema and Pryzm night club on the seafront.

His family firm is also renovating the Hippodrome.

Alma Howell is an inspector of historic buildings and areas for Historic England, one of the council’s key heritage partners. She is a town planner by background and has previously worked for the South Downs National Park Authority and Mid Sussex District Council.

Georgia Collard-Watson, 36, is principal associate architect at Grimshaw Global, with extensive experience in infrastructure and transport projects. She was named a “RIBA Journal Rising Star”.

Pete Tyler, 64, is a retired travel executive. He was the founder of Neilson Holidays, a leading outdoor tourism business which was long based at Brighton Marina, and a long-term Kemp Town resident.

Juliet Sargeant, 59, is an award-winning garden designer and author and the first black female gardener to exhibit at the Chelsea Flower Show, winning an RHS Gold Medal.

She lives in Rottingdean, runs the Sussex Garden School and is a regular presenter on BBC Gardeners World.

Carolyn Jikiemi-Roberts, 64, is a successful small-business owner, having established the Hot South Yoga Studio in Portslade in 2008.

Alastair Hignell, 69, is a former England rugby international, BBC presenter and charity patron, who lives in Kemp Town and now runs a group called Walk the Talk which does weekly wheelchair tours and visits to the seafront.