Tory party criticises "no go areas" in city

The leader of Brighton & Hove Conservative Party has criticised the council for its "soft touch policies" that have blighted parts of the city with anti-social behaviour.

After Brighton city centre was identified as one of the most crime-ridden in England and Wales, Conservative leader Steve Bell said that the city has gained a reputation for being weak on crime leading to open drug dealing and violence in public spaces especially around the Royal Pavilion.

According to analysis by the local newspaper - The Argus - there were more crimes reported in the city centre in a six-month period than there are people living there. Police received almost 1,800 crime reports in the city centre between March and August this year.

Cllr. Bell is reported in The Argus to have said: "Under this council, our city failed to renew its Public Space Protection Orders (PSPOs) for City Parks and public spaces over 'equalities' concerns, removing a tool that council officers said was having a positive deterrent effect on anti-social behaviour.

"Then, this year [they] decided to become the only council in the country to introduce a Homeless Bill of Rights, allowing begging across the city and making it more difficult for officers to remove tents from public parks.

"Both policies have put our city of step with neighbouring authorities such as Worthing and are inviting anti-social behaviour into Brighton's inner city . . . . . [which] has left some parts of the city centre "no go areas" for residents”.

The Conservatives are now calling for an urgent review of the city's policies and commitment to tackling crime amid fears it could impact tourism.

Green councillor Steph Powell, who co-chairs the tourism, equalities, communities and culture committee, said: "The police are responsible for enforcing criminal behaviour and the Conservative government has found - through a report from the Home Office - that the huge budget cuts the Tories have made to the police are contributing to a rise in crime.

"Crime and improving the safety of all in our city is a key priority. The council is doing everything it can but against this backdrop the challenges are significant. To suggest that the council alone is responsible for crime is disingenuous to say the least."

Responding to the findings published last week, Brighton & Hove's Divisional Commander, Chief Superintendent Justin Burtenshaw, said: "Brighton city centre is a bustling area packed full of the bars, clubs and businesses for which our city is famous, with a comparatively low number of residents.

"As a division, we carry out a huge amount of work to keep people safe, with increased patrols around the night-time economy and ongoing initiatives with our partners in the Violence Reduction Partnership to tackle the root causes of serious violence and bring perpetrators to justice. We also work with multiple agencies including the Business Crime Reduction Partnership to tackle business crime across the city. Brighton remains a safe place to live, work and visit.”