Councillor Calls For Transparency After Brighton Cycle Hangar Row

The scheme to site scores of bike hangars across Brighton and Hove was brought in without proper scrutiny, according to a councillor.

In the coming week, Conservative councillor Robert Nemeth plans to call for a report so that the scheme can be debated in an open and transparent manner.

Councillor Nemeth said that the scheme was set up using Brighton and Hove City Council’s budget process rather than a policy committee as would usually be the case with this sort of project.

He said that this meant that the scheme avoided “scrutiny of financial, legal and equality issues and numerous other related matters”.

He said that there had been “public frustration” and “unfavourable national press coverage” of the scheme since it started earlier this year.

And, in a motion listed for debate at a meeting of the full council on Thursday (15 December), he criticised “the lack of consultation that has taken place with residents over hangar locations”.

Councillor Nemeth’s motion follows a public question asking for the details behind the project from Laura King, of the Friends of Brighton and Hove Citizens Action Group.

She asked the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee about the legality and promotion of the process at a meeting on Tuesday 15 November.

Green councillor Steve Davis, who co-chairs the committee, sent a written reply. He said that the hangers were promoted correctly through the council, local press, police, emergency services, Road Haulage Association and Freight Transport Association.

Councillor Davis said:

“Funding for the cycle hangars project was agreed at ‘budget council’ on Thursday 25 February 2021.

“This funding was subsequently included in the ‘Local Transport Plan’ programme at the Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee in March 2021 and again at the February 2022 budget council.

“The Procurement Advisory Board approved the ‘cycle hangars – supply and management / maintenance’ report on Monday 26 July 2021 and a business case for the project was signed off by the assistant director of city transport.”

The council was prompted to look into how it could provide cycle hangars after a petition was presented to councillors by Addison Road resident Mark Bason in November 2020.

The petition called for cycle hangers in the area because many people had no space in their flats to store a bike. It also followed a spate of bike thefts.

And, in October and November last year, more than 2,000 people asked for cycle hangars in their streets in response to a six-week council survey.

Officials analysed the requests to identify 100 sites for the first hangars – and, so far, 60 cycle hangars have been installed across Brighton and Hove, providing 360 spaces.

Hangar locations were published on the “traffic regulation orders” page of the council’s website. Notices were also posted in the streets near the hangar sites.

Last month, the waiting list for hangar spaces stood at 461 residents, the council said.

Councillor Nemeth’s motion is due debated at the meeting of the full council which is due to start at 4.30pm next Thursday (15 December).

The meeting, at Hove Town Hall, is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.