Brighton residents objected to a bike hangar in their street- threatened with the police.
Brighton and Hove City Council are accused of giving a misleading version of events
Brighton and Hove City Council has been accused of giving a misleading version of events after residents who objected to a bike hangar in their street were threatened with the police.
Contractors were “surrounded by a lot of unhappy residents”, according to the City Council, and they were owed a duty of care.
But the resident who initially approached the contractors said that he was alone at first and that four neighbours subsequently joined him. One of the four just happened to be passing.
Cissbury Road resident Graeme Lyons said: “‘Surrounded’ and ‘unhappy’ are quite misleading. No one was threatening, aggressive or abusive.”
He was threatened with the police “within the first 30 seconds of contact when it was just me on the street”, Mr Lyons said, adding: “I had barely gotten a word out before I was threatened with the police.”
Labour councillor John Allcock, who represents Goldsmid ward, spoke out about the incident at a meeting of the full council last month.
Councillor Allcock said: “It’s certainly highly inappropriate and unhelpful to threaten well-meaning and responsible citizens with a call to the police when they question how council services are being implemented in their neighbourhood.
“I’m very afraid that this zealot-like behaviour will only alienate citizens from engaging in the process of active travel, rather than govern by consensus and win support.”
Neighbours welcomed the first hangar at the bottom of Cissbury Road but opposed plans for a second hangar at the top.
They said that road has parking problems because parents and carers wait for students leaving nearby Brighton, Hove And Sussex VI Form College,
Seven residents objected to a second hangar – as did Councillor Allcock and Labour councillor Jackie O’Quinn who also represents Goldsmid – while just two people supported the extra hangar.
Despite this, it was approved by the council’s Environment, Transport and Sustainability Committee in November.