A war of words has broken out between a residents action group and local councillors in a leafy Brighton suburb.
Relations between the Withdean and Westdene local action team (LAT), a group set up to tackle neighbourhood crime and other issues, and ward councillors have been fractious for many months.
The LAT’s chair Michael Whitty has accused the councillors – Jamie Lloyd, Steve Davies and Sarah Nield – of ignoring their concerns, particularly over plans to close streets around Westdene Primary School during the school run.
Mr Whitty is also angry they have not consulted the group over how ward budgets – money given to councillors for their neighbourhoods – are spent, saying he had heard Councillor Lloyd wanted to use it to fund a new pond, which he described as a “pet project”.
In February, he complained to the council after they sent apologies for a quarterly LAT meeting, which clashed with a full council meeting, accusing them of failing to liaise with residents and instead act as a local “dictatorship”.
Minutes of that meeting state the councillors had made a complaint to the council’s legal team over his reply to their email setting out their apologies.
Just before the next meeting, which happened last Tuesday, Councillor Lloyd emailed Mr Whitty with a statement he requested be included in the minutes, defending their position on the street closures and ward budget spending.
And he also suggested the LAT was moving away from its remit, and asked for details of the next LAT elections with a view to putting up people with “new ideas” forward for committee positions.
At that meeting, which was attended by seven people including Mr Whitty, the LAT voted to make councillor community representation one of their new priorities.
Mr Whitty told Brighton and Hove News: “I have to say that many local residents, some of whom voted for the Greens are now extremely disappointed in the local councillors lack of support to the residents of Withdean and Westdene.”
Councillor Davis said: “As you may be aware, 24 February was budget council so understandably the three councillors were unable to attend the LAT.
“We had missed some of previous meetings which clashed other council and personal engagements. On those occasions, we explained to Mr Whitty by email where we were unable to attend and why – and asked for any actions or queries to be raised with us after the meeting.
“We are always open to engaging with residents on the issues that they face.
“Mr Whitty has been very open about his opinions on the party which we represent. Sadly, we believe it is for this reason he behaves in the manner he does towards us.
“We have tried our best to engage with Mr Whitty but have been unable to successfully develop a professional and productive working relationship.
“We have not made a complaint to legal services but have sought advice in the past. As councillors, we have a right to be treated with respect in the same way that residents do and we feel that behaviours of Mr Whitty and some LAT attendees both in person and by email can cross this line.”
War of words – what has been said
Michael Whitty complains to the council’s scrutiny committee about the councillors:
Further to recent communications, we are concerned with the direction the LAT has taken which seems to be a move away form its focus on crime and disorder. Please could you provide details of the next round of elections so we can canvass attendance and hopefully introduce some new people and new ideas.
The community has much to offer in suggestions and solutions to the traffic problems under consideration but have not been given the opportunity to do so. Despite inviting all three councillors and the council school streets team to attend both groups declined with reasons like there is no one available and we have to attend the council budget meeting.
Councillor Jamie Lloyd emails Michael Whitty asking for a statement to be added to the minutes:
We note that the purpose of a LAT is to represent the Withdean area in matters relating to crime and disorder. We fail to make the connection between traffic management around a school designed to improve the safety and wellbeing of children and local crime and disorder?
We also note that after consultation on the School Streets proposal 75% of those that responded were in favour. It would show a lack of accountability if we ignored the majority of residents who responded in favour of the proposal.
In relation to ward budgets. It is up to the discretion of councillors as to how they allocate their ward budgets. Recent allocations have included a donation for a table tennis table on Westdene Green, donations to TWEAK to purchase trees for the green and new trees for Surrenden Road that were lost to elm disease.
If the LAT has a project they would like our ward budget to contribute to then that would be considered in the same way as any other community group’s request would.
Further to recent communications, we are concerned with the direction the LAT has taken which seems to be a move away form its focus on crime and disorder. Please could you provide details of the next round of elections so we can canvass attendance and hopefully introduce some new people and new ideas.
Michael Whitty responds in an email to LAT members on 29 June
Attached are the minutes of the scheduled meeting held yesterday which was once again impaired by the non-attendance or support of the local elected councillors. Yet they take the time out for a photo publicity shot cutting hedges overhanging pavements when the real danger is pavements and weeds.
Clearly, one would believe by their behaviour, their support and non-commitment to the local residents is in their own interest and not that of local residents judging by their unwillingness to attend our meetings.
This is exemplified by the contemptuous and ignorance of the email submitted 45 minutes before the start of the scheduled meeting known by all as the dates were set at the outset of the year and always included on the previous meeting agendas.
What are LATs?
Local action teams were formed in Brighton in the mid-noughties, initially with a focus on crime and disorder. One of their main roles was to set priorities for neighbourhood police teams to work to.
Local police officers, councillors and council officers have always attended to answer residents’ questions.
As policing numbers were slashed during austerity, the focus of LATs has shifted and discussions have often become more general.
Some LATs are still meeting regularly, and attract a healthy turnout. Others are less active, with only a handful of regulars turning up – or have been abandoned altogether.
The LAT in Central Hove was discontinued because it was dominated by a loudmouthed resident and others stayed away.
How many people attend the LAT meetings in Withdean?
Hi Dean, as the story says, the last one was attended by seven people.
Hi Jo. It might be worth explaining that LATs were formed and are attended by representatives from local community groups and some businesses rather than by individual residents. The West Hove Forum (LAT) is a thriving group which is supported by all 4 councillors in Wish and Westbourne Wards (Conservative and Labour)and is very professionally run. It has a constitution and the committee is voted in at an AGM. Our local community police officers attend when they can and we have a varied agenda which includes but extends beyond policing and security. The West Hove Forum established the West Hove Seafront Action Group, which in turn lobbied for improvements to the West Hove Seafront, which resulted in the Kingsway to the Sea Project.
All good stuff!
Sue Johnson
Secretary, Friends of Hove Lagoon
A Freedom of Information request states that, in Westdene, the response in favour of the original “School Streets” idea , [no one-way mentioned as NOT part of Hackney toolkit], was 51.4%, not 75%. My own personal suggestion [an anticlockwise gryatory route around the school, allowing safer commuting by kids alighting on the NEAR side of a vehicle plus a second gate on the Green, has been rejected after being ignored. This was supported by 100% of respondents on Bankside when I personally polled door-to-door. Why has it been rejected, when it is clearly safer – a prime criterion?
I addition, a second map was sent out by the Council which [after the taster day and poll] introduced the idea of one-way scheme, the wrong way so kids alight into moving traffic on Bankside. This idea was rejected in 2010 by a traffic assessment [Project Centre] commissioned by BHCC, as “likely to increase speeds on Bankside”. One-way running has nothing to do with “School Streets” so stop calling it that.
It amazes me that, in a decade since the school was expanded from 200 to near-700, no-one has twigged that it would be better to run traffic so as to eliminate kids alighting into moving cars at a tiny pedestrian gate. If you wanted to design-in congestion, that’s how it could be done.
Mike – over the last few years many of us have become aware of the fact Green councillors ignore residents wishes, instead preferring to push Green dogma upon us. You are not alone. As regards Davis’ claim about being open to engaging with residents – I found him incapable of listening to anyone who disagreed with him.
Hopefully it will be ta-ta to the Withdean Green councillors next May. It seems they are not there to serve the residents, but to roll out their own agenda
Seems our arrogant Green councillors who think they are so much cleverer than everyone else, continue to want to dictate to the electorate instead of realising they are accountable to them.
I imagine they hate LATs where they have to listen to other groups who disagree with their party dogma and have to justify what they have dreamt up.
That picture really shows the sort of obnoxious immaturity the party attracts.
Where you one of the seven people that actually turned up at this meeting? I remember Whitty turning up in our street and putting letters though our doors pretending he was from the council and demanding we took a sign down in the neighborhood. I had no idea about the sign but we didn’t like his tone much and I certainly wouldnt go to a meeting he organised. Seems like the rest of the community agree, there must be 10,000 people in Withdean and just seven turn up to Mr Shouty man’s meeting? I didnt vote Green but I have seen them out and about and fair play, why should they turn up when it doesnt have anything to do with the community?
A LAT is supposed to represent the community. This LAT had seven people turn up and claims it represents us? Does it have democratic elections / AGM? I see the Councillors out and about in the community, fair play to them. I have also had a letter through from the president of this LAT but it was fake news and he claimed he represented the council, but he doesnt. There must be 10,000 people in Withdean, how does an undemocratic LAT of seven people possibly represent the wider community? I wouldnt turn up to that meeting either, seems like the councillors and everyone else has better things to do.
The Withdean Greens are the most militant within the council, was it a surprise that they were elected, not really angry anti brexit Tories were never going to reward the local party or back momentum/ Corbyn Labour councilors. The Greens seemed the safer bet. I wonder how many will do the same again in 2023? The 3 Withdean councils are crucial as to who holds the balance of power.
Agree Nathan, sadly some of us did not vote based on what was best and chose to go with zealots that do not feel they need to be democratic (Note that I voted tactically, not Green). Whilst I would not like to see momentum in power and don’t trust the current regime in power at Westminster I feel they would probably do a better job than Labour and the Greens locally… Sadly Lib-Dem seems non-viable these days as I probably would have voted there – which for me is a massive change having come from a working class family that chose to vote Tory instead of Labour… Really hope that the chaos and lack of democracy in the last couple of years along with the lack of access to our Town/City due to their “improvements” will lead to people opening their eyes and voting elsewhere. If enough residents do that it might just be enough to overwhelm the student proxy votes the Greens seem to employ at the Universitys to gain their foothold…
Completely avoidable situation. Residents and councillors/the council don’t have to agree but councillors/the council do need to engage/listen and justify their position transparently and objectively in line with the public standards they should be adhering to at all times.
This particular LAT is active, and has always been an ideal opportunity to understand community issues and opportunities for local councillors. Attendance at meetings fluctuates- it was at least double at the previous meeting, and in addition to its much wider membership it is supporting a community group of between 30-60 active members because they have felt systematically ignored and hoodwinked in relation to Westdene school streets.
Challenging or not agreeing with councillors does not mean residents/group or LAT members fall into any one, or all, of the common excuses made by these councillors: 1. ‘They’re political’ 2. ‘They’re nasty’ 3. ‘ They’re a minority’.
Residents are increasingly frustrated by issues like inaccessible pavements, excuses and inaction, and have evidence that backs up each and every issue being raised by community members.
However, as in this article, members of this community who challenge the councillors representation and interesting use of data have been subjected (individually and as groups) to sweeping claims (both publicly and privately) about motive (etc.) Before the councillors present themselves as the victims of ‘nasty’ (etc.) residents surely they need to be able to fully justify those claims in full including in the context of any history and their remit as public representatives for the whole community?
Wouldn’t it be so much better though, for everyone, if these councillors just did the job that people, including myself, voted for them to do in the first place, and represent this whole community in a transparent and objective way? That’s all that has ever been needed.
I really can’t believe that the current bunch of councillors , and indeed BHCC itself, can act in such an undemocratic and dictatorial manner. How is this deemed to be acceptable ?
Lol yet so strange how the green party act towards us residents rolling out one sided consultations with lack of room for any negative comments. They’ll even act like kids when a resident reads out a petition against their vanity project
Having spoken directly to one of the ‘Withdean Greens’ I can categorically state they just don’t want to listen to the views of residents. Let us all hope, for the good of Withdean & Westdene, and the city as a whole, they do not get re-elected next year.
The replies here are very mixed and clearly some are biased politically. The Withdean/Westdene LAT is a well advertised public group, initially established by the Council and is in existence to serve the local residents of the Ward in all manner of issues of concern. Personal criticism of the chairman, Michael Whitty, is an easy cop out but at least he has for many years attempted to assist the community in improving the area and environment we reside in. Far more then those offering the criticisms here in this thread who are probably defending the political side of the argument and not the reality of the lack of support from our three Green Councillors. Thanks to the LAT and the Chairman’s drive and initiatives they donated £1000 to the opening of the Barn and £500 to Westdene school for the purchase of school computers. They also prevented 114 houses being constructed on the Braybon fields providing 75% of the land for residential communal use.
With regard the demeaning comment about numbers attending the LAT, we often have many more over the past 15 years or more but at present none of us, surely, are that stupid to suggest that low numbers at meetings nowadays is a reflection of interest or support. there is the matter of Covid to consider apart from being in the holiday period of the year. Further if some of the writers here knocking the LAT or it’s officers wish to stand, please take an interest in the local area and attend the meetings where you can contribute and make a difference and what is more stand for election in our AGM next January! It is very easy to sit back, do nothing and put down those making an effort. In fact is is not just easy but shameful and cowardly.