The high number of complaints about basic council services has prompted Labour to call for a cross-party working group to be set up to get to grip with the problems.
The party said that councillors had received a high volume of complaints over long-running problems with missed rubbish and recycling collections, pavement weeds, potholes, graffiti and litter.
Labour councillor Gary Wilkinson asked Brighton and Hove City Council to adopt a cross-party approach to essential services a year ago.
Councillor Wilkinson plans to try again at a meeting of the full council at Hove Town Hall on Thursday (2 February).
He plans to propose a motion that includes bringing together communities to identify and tackle “grot spots” and problem areas.
Councillor Wilkinson intends to ask the council to consider creating citizen’s assemblies, citywide clean-up events and “meaningful consultation”.
His proposed working group would consist of six councillors – two from each political party – to investigate, review and discuss solutions to problems with essential council services.
The working group would bring its ideas to the council’s Policy and Resources Committee and its Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee.
Councillor Wilkinson said:
“There is ongoing public dissatisfaction from residents about basic council services, such as missed refuse and recycling collections, dangerous pavements, potholes, graffiti and fly-tipping.
“(There is) a general feeling from residents that the city looks awful and has been allowed to deteriorate.
“Councillors need to see the developing problems and have the foresight to recognise that you can’t decorate your house until you’ve fixed the leaking roof.
“Our residents rightly expect the council to prioritise the delivery of basic services over vanity projects.
“The benefit of a cross-party approach to talking about systemic problems is that you can look at many issues in one go and gather information from a variety of places.
“There is an emphasis on constructive dialogue that looks at solutions and brings recommendations.
“Some people say member working groups create more work. You tell that to our residents who have seen the same issues for years. Perhaps they will welcome a bit more work.
“This is about doing the right thing. Getting the basics right for the people of Brighton and Hove.”
Labour councillor Bella Sankey, who won the recent Wish ward by-election, is expected to second the motion.
She is concerned about frequently missed bin collections in St Leonard’s Gardens and Erroll Road as well as graffiti and fly-tipping on the Ingram Estate.
The council is due to meet at 4.30pm on Thursday (2 February). The meeting is scheduled to be webcast on the council’s website.
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