Latest news with #BrightonHove
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
RNLI warns of cold water risk as temperatures soar
Lifeguards in the South East have warned those enjoying the hot weather this weekend to be wary of cold water shock as seaside temperatures are set to soar to around 30⁰C (86⁰F). Water safety teams from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) say that water temperatures will remain cold enough to be dangerous despite Sussex and Kent nearing the heatwave threshold. Guy Addington, water safety lead for the RNLI in the South East, said those heading to the seaside should choose beaches with lifeguards on them and to stay afloat if they get into difficulty. Amber heat health warnings are in place across the UK until 09:00 BST on Monday as temperatures could hit 31⁰C over the weekend. Mr Addington said: "Heading to the coast in hot weather is a great way to have fun, relax and cool off – but the water can be dangerous. "If you get into trouble in the water, tilt your head back with ears submerged and try to relax and control your breathing. Use your hands to help you stay afloat and then call for help or swim to safety if you can. It's OK if your legs sink, we all float differently." Cold water shock occurs when the body is suddenly immersed in water typically below 15⁰C (59⁰F) and can cause hyperventilation, gasping for air and a rise in heart rate. The impact of the shock can lead to difficulty in swimming, putting even experienced swimmers at risk of drowning. The RNLI provides lifeguards across the South East, including most recently in Brighton and Hove. Ed Stevens, lifeguarding lead for the South East, said: "Our lifeguards have undertaken extensive training to be able to provide an excellent lifesaving service. "It's important to check the times and season dates of your nearest RNLI lifeguarded beach and to listen to any local advice they can give you – they are there to help keep us safe." Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. South East braces for potential heatwave Amber heat health alerts in place as temperatures above 30C likely When is a heatwave really a heatwave? RNLI
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Promising signing' - Fans on Coppola plus views on transfers
Following the signing of Diego Coppola from Hellas Verona, we asked you for your thoughts on the are some of your comments:Tony: Coppola is tall, athletic and seemingly intelligent and capable with the ball. He could be a direct replacement in the middle of the defence for all-time favourite Lewis Looks like a promising signing. At 6ft 4in, he fits the physical criteria Hurzeler asked for, and at 21, he has plenty of room to develop. Can't go too wrong for the On paper this looks like a fantastic signing. Time will tell if the guy can fit in well at Brighton as some of our recent signings have struggled to establish the transfer window is now open again until 1 September, we also asked you to tell us one player you want Brighton to sign, and a player you want to be sold this are a selection of your comments:Simon: Joao Pedro can leave. He has been very good but we are very strong in his position. A bumper new contract for Kaoru Mitoma is the one signing we must achieve. Kaoru is on a different level to any other player and such a humble role model for the young The player I'd like out is Igor Julio, he is a player who is injury prone and can't get his way into the starting XI because of Jan Paul van Hecke's amazing season and Adam Webster's fill-in for Lewis Dunk. The player I would like Brighton to purchase is a striker but don't know who yet. Danny Welbeck can't play like he is now forever. I think we need to sign a striker that is able to be the next Welbeck. Maybe Jorgen Strand Larsen with his height and physicality in and around the Brighton need to sign Kyle Walker-Peters. Has represented England and is also versatile being able to play on both sides as a full-back. He is available on a free transfer and is a proven Premier League player. I believe that we should be looking to sell Joao Pedro. We have signed two young Greek forwards and Evan Ferguson will be returning from loan. With Joao Pedro's attitude problems and, at times, a lack of effort, I think this is the perfect time for him to step up to a higher level while we cash in on his talent. He is clearly a very gifted footballer but sometimes lacks the off the ball work that Fabian Hurzeler is looking For all the positives, Joao Pedro's value could fall if misbehaviour grows quicker than his goal tally. There's a few in England Under-21 shirts at the moment (Charlie Cresswell, Tino Livramento) that look tempting but maybe Brighton could afford Bryan Mbeumo?
BBC News
12-06-2025
- BBC News
Brighton housing estate residents urge acting against illegal parking
People living in Brighton housing estates say illegal parking is disrupting their lives as ambulances, wheelchairs and pushchairs are being blocked by parked from the Bates Estate, Coldean, North Moulsecoomb and Hollingdean have urged Brighton and Hove City Council to take action at a council housing management panel meeting on 10 June. They called for better enforcement and councillor Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport and parking, to be present at their next meeting, according to the Local Democracy Reporting council has asked residents to share dates and locations of times they believed there was no enforcement for investigation. Hollingdean Residents' Association secretary Ian Beck said: "With the aid of the council, we got double yellow lines put around each of these closes."But an ambulance tried to get into my street a few days ago for an emergency with a 92-year-old woman but could not get in because a van was parked on the double yellow lines."The meeting was told that vehicles blocking Southmount, off Davey Drive, also delayed another ambulance which took 25 minutes to leave the road due to parked parked across dropped kerbs, restricting access for people in wheelchairs and parents with children in pushchairs, were also said to have affected people living on the Bates Estate and in North Moulsecoomb and Coldean. Parking issues 'massively increasing' On football match days at Brighton and Hove Albion, parking issues were described as "massively increasing" by residents despite parking restrictions being in place on estates closest to the Amex almost a quarter of the council's parking enforcement team were deployed in Coldean and Moulsecoomb on those this year, two separate parking consultations were carried out for north and south Hollingdean to measure demand for a resident parking the results not yet published, the council said that, generally, people living south of Hollingbury Place were in September, 2024, Coldean had received 528 visits with 450 penalty charge notices (PCNs) being the same period, Moulsecoomb – a larger area – received 528 visits with 715 PCNs being of the parking tickets on the north Brighton estates were issued because vehicles were blocking a dropped kerb.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Fury as Brighton Council plan for gender-neutral changing village at new pool being built by firm founded by Olympic swimmers
A new £5.5million pool in Brighton designed by a firm founded by Olympic swimming stars have provoked fury over plans suggesting a gender-neutral changing village. Campaigners say women and children could be put at risk as they raised questions about the mooted new facilities at Withdean Sports Complex. Venue owner Brighton and Hove City Council has handed the contract for the pool's design to ReCreation, a company set up by four-time Olympic medallist Dame Rebecca Adlington and fellow Olympic swimmers Steve Parry and Adrian Turner. Councillors have hailed 'plans for this much needed new swimming pool' to be built at the Withdean sports base, which has an athletics stadium that was formerly home to Brighton and Hove Albion FC between 1999 and 2011. But critics have drawn attention to how the newly published plans, put out to public consultation, promise 'Gender neutral changing village and toilets'. The local authority has since said there has been a 'misunderstanding' about the published plans, while suggesting they had been wrongly phrased. Complaints are now pouring in to the council's online questionnaire seeking reaction, with gender-critical campaigners raising concerns about single-sex only facilities potentially allowing predatory men access to women and children. Planning documents shared as part of an ongoing public consultation plan show designs for the new pool's footprint, accompanied by a page listing 'Key considerations' and headed 'Accessible for everyone'. The document says the proposals are for 'a new facility designed for inclusion and wellbeing' that would 'ensure access for all users'. The design features are listed as including 'ramped and stair access to suit all levels of mobility', a 'wheelchair-accessible changing cubicle' and 'designated wheelchair spaces in the spectator area'. Yet critics have highlighted one of the other bullet points which states: 'Gender-neutral changing village and toilets designed with inclusivity in mind.' Similar concerns have been raised over gender-neutral changing facilities at other leisure centres nationwide, with the group Women's Rights Network calling for curbs. Brighton and Hove City Council has shared a possible floor plan for the proposed new pool - saying cubicles would include 'a mix of single, double, family and accessible'. Human rights charity Sex Matters have said the floor plan did not appear to indicate provision for single-sex facilities. The organisation's director of advocacy Helen Joyce said: 'It's incomprehensible that any council would choose to build a new community pool with only "gender neutral" - that is, mixed sex - changing facilities. 'Most people, of both sexes, prefer single sex facilities for privacy and dignity, and for women they are important for safety too. 'There is increasing evidence that mixed sex changing rooms and toilets are a gift to predatory men who seek to harass, abuse and sexually assault women and girls.' She told of increasing reports of phone-related incidents in 'gender-neutral' changing rooms and toilets as well as complaints that men have been hiding cameras in such facilities to record women in a state of undress. Ms Joyce added: 'If Withdean Sports Complex really wants to be "inclusive", it shouldn't design its facilities in a way that will put off women and girls, especially those who have suffered abuse or are from religions and cultures where sharing changing rooms with men is unacceptable.' Faye McGinty, of Women's Rights Network which has been campaigning against such 'gender-neutral changing villages', called for authorities to show more concern. She said: 'We know that the changing village design for swimming pools is a magnet for predatory males. 'All over the country, women and girls are constantly put at risk of voyeurism and other forms of sexual abuse in these mixed sex changing rooms in the name of 'inclusivity'. 'Councils, architects and Sport England need to look at the overwhelming evidence of harm and review any new and ongoing projects like the Withdean Sports Complex, considering the safety of women and girls through a robust risk assessment and consultation with women's groups.' Gender-critical activist Kellie-Jay Keen warned that such gender -neutral changing villages would put women and children in danger if not safely signed. She said the quality of such facilities did vary - as she praised those at her nearest leisure centre in Wiltshire for having entirely enclosed cubicles, with walls running from floor to ceiling. But she said others made people more vulnerable to indecent exposure, voyeurism and sexual assaults. She told MailOnline: 'These gender-neutral changing villages do seem to be on the rise. I live in Wiltshire and we've got one and I was encouraged to see the cubicles do seem to be fully enclosed. 'If they are fully enclosed, right to the top from the floor and are fully impenetrable, I don't see there's anything wrong with them. 'But if, say, a mobile phone can come through any gaps or pierce a hole, then it's simply not good enough. 'Anything less than being fully enclosed puts women and children at risk.' Brighton and Hove City Council sources have suggested in response to the backlash that there had been a 'misunderstanding' following phrasing in the published plans and insisted users would be kept separate in the proposed 'village'. They said lockable toilets and changing rooms would be similar to those seen in leisure centres nationwide. And they described the phrasing in the published documents as 'something, we'll have to have a chat, the way it's been worded'. Councillor Alan Robins, cabinet member for sports, recreation and libraries, today said: 'There has been a misunderstanding over the naming of the facilities on the designs. 'But to be clear, they are for the industry standard, individual, lockable cubicles used at leisure facilities up and down the country. 'We are delighted to be consulting on a new state of the art swimming pool for residents of Brighton and Hove.' A formal planning application related to the proposed new pool is expected to be submitted to Brighton and Hove City Council later this year. But initial designs and plans for the five-lane, 25m facility were revealed this month, with councillor Mr Robins describing the unveiling as 'incredibly exciting'. He said: 'As a coastal city it's vital that all our children and young people have the chance to learn to swim at an affordable price, and that we listen to the views of our residents and do everything we can to provide modern, sustainable and affordable sporting facilities for all.' The project, given an estimated budget of £5.5million, is being overseen by swimming pool design firm ReCreation, part of the Swim network of UK-wide community pools. The company says on its website: 'Using innovative technology and designs, we deliver bespoke public leisure buildings for a fraction of the traditional cost. 'Every project we undertake becomes our passion and we offer a complete, dedicated design and delivery team that collaborates with each client on a case-by-case basis to provide an optimum, cost-effective leisure solution.' Adrian Turner, director of ReCreation, said earlier this year when the Withdean partnership was announced: 'Our guarantee is a swimming pool that the community will love. 'We will be using the latest design and engineering technologies to develop a pool that will be warm, safe and inviting. 'For 11 years in a row, more pools in the UK have closed than opened, so we are thrilled to be reversing that trend with Brighton & Hove City Council.' The firm has been described as the country's leading provider of above-ground pools, after being founded in 2009 alongside the Pools4Schools initiative. They opened Britain's first Olympic-length above-ground pool in the London borough of Barking and Dagenham in 2019. Dame Rebecca and Parry also set up Swim!, an organisation set up 'to help children to swim' - with regular sessions held weekly at pools across the country. The company describes them as 'passionate about teaching children to swim' and how they were 'achieving this by opening state-of-the-art, family-friendly centres around the UK'. Dame Rebecca, 36, won two gold medals at London 2012 - the first British swimmer to hold two golds since 1908. She followed that up with a pair of bronzes at the Summer Games in Rio four years later.
BBC News
11-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
What does the Spending Review mean for the South East?
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is due to deliver her plans later for how much the government is going to spend over the next few years on public Spending Review will set the budgets for all departments over the next few years, including the NHS, schools and look at some of the issues that might impact south-east England. Policing The government has promised more "bobbies on the beat", with 13,000 additional neighbourhood police over the course of this with other big priorities like defence and the NHS, there are fears the Home Secretary will not be given the money needed to adequately fund day-to-day budgets in the South East are already under pressure. Sussex Police is having to find £5m worth of savings this year. Forces in the region also need to absorb an increase in employers' National Insurance contributions and an increase to the minimum Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne has told me she is anxious about the government's settlement. She says the South East faces particular challenges, especially with its proximity to London, which is an exporter of drugs and knife Treasury has said police forces will get an above inflation increase, but it is thought some Home Office sources believe the funding allocated is not enough. Housing Councils in Brighton & Hove, Crawley, Eastbourne, Hastings, Ashford, Gravesham and Canterbury are among those who have struggled under the pressure of unprecedented demand for social housing, with spiralling costs for temporary indicate deputy prime minster and housing secretary Angela Rayner will be given a boost for investment in affordable housing, but whether it will be on the scale that councils in the South East have been calling for remains to be seen. Brighton social housing tenant Mary Davies suffered a mental health breakdown and alcohol addiction during the Covid-19 lockdown and became homeless after her marriage broke said: "You can't rebuild anything in your life without having a safe and secure home."It saved my life and has allowed me to sustain my recovery and get to a point where I can be employed again and be a safe mum to my daughter. "It's worth the government investing in that." Transport Kent has long been seen as England's gateway to Europe and roads across the South East, such as the M25 and M23, are the most heavily-used in the is why the lack of spending for transport has surprised some, as the Treasury has focused on improving transport in the Midlands and the North, with £15bn of spending confirmed for other areas. There are reports that one of the UK's biggest transport infrastructure projects in the UK, the Lower Thames Crossing, will receive only £1bn of the £2bn operators had hoped for to attract private financial tunnel is going to require upwards of £9bn to complete, with the government hoping the project will be complete by the mid that funding has been largely focussed elsewhere has worried some campaigners including councillors in the north of Kent who say more needs to be done to ease the traffic problems they are facing. Councils Last month, the leader of Surrey County Council, Tim Oliver, talked about the "unprecedented challenges" facing local government, which he described as being "often the bottom of the government's priority list".Councils were particularly hard hit after 2010 during the austerity years and officials feel things have not got any better in terms of of growing demand - which have led to huge pressures on local authority finances - include adult social care and special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).The number of children needing education, health and care plans (EHCPS) or specialist school places continues to rise across East and West Sussex, Surrey and Kent, which causes stress and heartache for many families.A major reform is on the way, with the two tier system of councils being have said the changes will save money which can be reinvested in public services, but there is a lot of uncertainty about the future of local government.
