“Doing good in Brighton”: honouring the educationalist and suffragette Mary Hare

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 27th March 2024)

When I was a councillor in the 1980s, I used to love door-knocking, both during election campaigns and throughout the year. But there was one exception, a street I never enjoyed visiting: St Michael’s Place in central Brighton. It was inevitably windy and raining. I was back in St Michael’s Place last Saturday. Not only was there a bitterly cold west wind, and not only did it rain, there was a most dramatic hailstorm the likes of which I have seldom experienced in England.

But Saturday was different. It was an uplifting and joyful celebration of the life of Mary Hare, a suffragette, the founder of an independent women’s police force in Brighton and, most importantly, a pioneering teacher of deaf children. The Mayor, Cllr. Jackie O’Quinn was there, the Brighton and Hove Bus that bears the name ‘Mary Hare’ was incongruously parked in this side street, and at least half those present were communicating through sign language. They were all there to witness the unveiling of a blue plaque to commemorate the life and work of Mary Hare.

17 St Michael’s Place was Mary’s home from 1895 to 1901, and was one of the sites of the school she had founded. According to the programme prepared for the unveiling, “Mary was ahead of her time in championing the rights and wellbeing of deaf children and women” and was “a revolutionary campaigner for the inclusion in society and education of deaf children who, at that time, were often abandoned in asylums, or considered by some as unworthy of education.”

Mary was a committed suffragette and a contemporary of Mary Clarke, the sister of Emmeline Pankhurst, Brighton resident and organiser, and the first suffragette to die for women’s right to vote. There is currently a campaign to have a statue of Mary Clarke erected in the gardens of the Royal Pavilion to commemorate her life and work. 

The Brighton Gazette of 1908 reports that Mary Hare chaired a Women’s Social and Political Union meeting on Queen’s Road where she said that suffragettes “were going to rouse Brighton”. In 1913 she became secretary of the Brighton Women’s Freedom League, which was prepared to break the law, but rejected violence.

In 1915 Mary Hare set up a volunteer uniformed women’s police force, much against the wishes of the local constabulary, to assist Brighton and Hove’s women and children. An article in the Brighton, Hove and South Sussex Graphic entitled  ‘Bobby – the Woman Policeman’ records her work and describes Mary as looking “particularly smart in her uniform and bowler hat”. Times have moved on and one of the speakers at the unveiling of the blue plaque in St Michael’s Place was Superintendent Petra Lazar from Sussex Police.

Her true passion, however, was as an educationalist for deaf children. She said that her efforts on behalf of these children “have been my greatest joy in life.” She established, originally in London, the Private Oral School for Deaf Children in 1895, taking mixed pupils of all ages from across the country. In 1916 the school moved to larger premises in Sussex, and then to Berkshire, where the Mary Hare Grammar School for the Deaf still operates.

A past student of the Mary Hare Grammar School is Brighton-born Margaret Stewart who lives with her husband John in Patcham. Margaret single-handedly set about fundraising for the blue plaque to recognise the pioneering work of the remarkable Mary Hare. ‘Remarkable’ can also be said of the formidable Margaret Stewart who herself should be seen as an inspiration to us all. She might be small in stature but she has displayed a steely determination to honour Mary Hare.

While Margaret was the driving force behind securing the blue plaque for Mary Hare, others have supported her including the influential Brighton Women’s History Group. Present, too, at the unveiling was the current Head of the Mary Hare School for the Deaf in Berkshire, Robin Askew, and the force of nature that is Victoria Garcia from Brighton and Hove Buses who does so much to ensure that the names of more of the daughters of the city are celebrated on our buses. 

About the independent police force, Mary Hare said that “we are out to do good work in Brighton, and we have had unsolicited testimonials to the effect that we have done good.” This could be said about all of her life’s work. It can also be said of Margaret Stewart, and those words should be a challenge to the rest of us “to do good in Brighton.”

The Labour Party should apologise for the unnecessary cost of by-elections in Brighton and Hove within a year of the local elections

Two by-elections are to be held in Brighton on 2nd May, the same day as the election for the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner. The by-elections in Queen’s Park ward and Kemptown ward come following the resignations of Chandni Mistry and Bharti Gajjar, the so-called Leicester Two who were thrown out of the Labour Party following allegations that they don’t actually live in Brighton. A referral alleging electoral fraud was made to Sussex Police who have recently said no action will be taken over the claims.

Labour’s candidate in the Queen’s Park by-election, Camilla Gauge, with ward councillor Tristram Burden (Photo credit: Tristram Burden X / Twitter)

Council leader, Labour’s Bella Sankey, told the Argus that she was “overjoyed” by the decision of the two councillors to “do the right thing and step down” and said they should “never have been selected as candidates”.  She said: “The people of Queen’s Park and Kemp Town can now elect new councillors that will listen to their needs and serve them properly.”

I’m not sure if “overjoyed” is the right word for it. This whole mess is the making of the Labour Party who really should be offering an apology for the unnecessary cost of two by-elections. A by-election, depending on the size of the ward, costs between £12,000 and £15,000. These by-elections, together with the one held in December in South Portslade, will bring the total to three by-elections caused by Labour since last May’s local elections, at a cost of between £36,000 and £45,000. What a waste of public money at a time when cuts are being made to essential service.

The apology should come from the national or regional Labour Party who took over the selection of candidates in Brighton and Hove. Perhaps the Labour Party should be offering both an apology and an offer to reimburse Brighton and Hove City Council for this unnecessary cost.

One person who should not apologise is Bella Sankey who was not the Leader of the Labour Group at the time of the selections and the election. She must be so frustrated by this and other decisions made by the regional Labour Party, such as not enabling someone with her qualities to be the Party’s candidate in Brighton Pavilion. 

As for the by-elections themselves, Labour should hold on comfortably to both seats. In Camilla Gauge, who is standing in Queen’s Park ward, Labour has chosen an exceptional candidate who will bring experience and great ability to the Council, not least her expertise in tackling violence against women and girls. As far as I am aware, the Party is yet to select its candidate in Kemptown ward.

The Greens have traditionally had some success in Queen’s Park. How close they come to challenging Labour will provide an indication as to the mountain the party has yet to climb in recovering from its worst election defeat in 20 years in Brighton and Hove.

As for the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, they have about as much chance of winning as a lame and blind donkey would have had winning the Gold Cup at the Cheltenham Festival this last week.

Update: 4.45pm 16/03/2024 Theresa Mackey has been selected as Labour’s candidate for the Kemptown by-election.

25 years after his killing, there is still no justice for Jay Abatan

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 24th January 2024)

Jay Abatan

Twenty five years ago today, in the early hours of 24th January 1999, brothers Jay and Michael Abatan were leaving the Ocean Rooms nightclub in Brighton. There was an altercation with five other men over a taxi. Jay and Michael were assaulted. Jay was punched twice in the face. Falling over, he fractured his skull on the pavement.  Michael is certain that later he saw a tread mark on Jay’s forehead. Michael himself  was punched and kicked as he went to Jay’s aid. Jay was taken to the Royal Sussex where he lay in a coma for five days before he died from his injuries.

Two men were quickly arrested and charged with manslaughter. However, due to an alleged lack of evidence, the manslaughter charges were dropped, but they were put on trial for the assault on Michael. After a trial in 2000, they were found not guilty.  The judge had ruled that the jury could not be told that Jay had died in the assault, even though the jury had asked why he wasn’t  appearing to give evidence in support of Michael. 

Two years after that trial, one of those charged, Graham Curtis, took his own life at his home in Port Hall Road, Brighton. 

Michael has always maintained there was a racist element to the assaults and the mishandled investigation, and that there were police officers at the Ocean Rooms that night. Sussex Police dismissed the racist element, one of many matters for which they were heavily criticised in a review of the investigation carried out by Essex Police.

The Essex Police review listed 57 conclusions, mostly critical, and made 18 recommendations for improvement. Re-investigations of the case by Sussex Police have also been criticised following other independent reviews. Sussex Police later publicly apologised to the Abatan family for their handling of the investigation.

Where there is no justice, an apology is of little comfort for those who have had a loved one taken from them. Four of the five alleged perpetrators from that awful night remain free as they have been for 25 years. Meanwhile, Michael and his family have been sentenced to a lifetime of anguish. Throughout these past 25 years, the Abatan family have been supported by Peter Bottomley MP in whose constituency both Jay and Michael had lived. This has been a source of strength and comfort to them.

Peter Bottomley has said: “I witnessed the consequences of the decision not to continue with charges of joint enterprise. I was near tears when defence lawyers’ arguments led to the judge’s ruling that Michael as witness and double victim could not answer the question about what happened to Jay. It took a fight to win a coroner’s inquest when more information came into the open. It is still not known how many police officers were in the venue with the attackers.

Publicity could still bring forward the evidence and the courage needed by witnesses. This crime can be solved. Justice could be achieved.”

I first met Michael some sixteen months after Jay’s death when it had been suggested to him by a mutual friend that I might be able to give him some advice about generating publicity for the ‘Justice for Jay’ campaign. He and his partner came to our home, and my wife and I gave him some simple suggestions for generating publicity. A shy man, Michael was, understandably, uncertain about what we suggested, never having sought publicity before. Nevertheless, a few days later I opened The Argus to see a large photo of Michael outside John Street Police Station lighting a candle to mark the 500th day since Jay’s death. It was a campaigning idea we had suggested to him. 

Michael would be the last person to seek publicity, but he has become an articulate and powerful spokesperson for the campaign to bring to justice those responsible for Jay’s death, thus honouring the pledge he made to his dying brother all those years ago. 

From what Michael has told me, Jay was a remarkable person and a loving father of two children. Michael loves him as much today as he ever has, and still mourns his death deeply. I am sorry I never met Jay, but I am now proud to count Michael Abatan as one of my closest friends. He is someone of enormous integrity who just wants justice for his beloved brother.

This coming Sunday at 2.00pm, there will be a vigil outside John Street Police Station when, once again, family and friends will gather to remember Jay and to call for justice.

Will Labour get its house in order and end the Council’s hypocrisy over tagging and graffiti?

(This item first appeared in the Brighton Argus on 22nd November 2023)

For many a long year Brighton and Hove City Council has had a hypocritical attitude towards tagging and graffiti. There have been claims that tagging was the responsibility of just a few individuals when that was patently untrue.  Then sanctions were threatened against business owners who didn’t clean up tagging on their property while the council exempted itself from such penalties on its properties.

Skateboard Park on The Level

Earlier this year I highlighted the shocking state of graffiti and tagging on The Level, specifically the children’s playground and skateboard park.  Within a week of me raising questions with the City Council, much of the tagging in the children’s area had been painted out.  Before I could become self-satisfied that this column had achieved one small victory, it was reported that the council had cleaned the area because of a planned visit by the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman!  Since then no further action has been taken, not least in cleaning up the graffiti and tagging in the skateboard park.

The Argus reported that Ms Braverman met Sussex Police Chief Constable Jo Shiner and Inspector James Ward to discuss success in tackling antisocial behaviour and violence in Brighton, and that the Home Secretary was seen at The Level where Sussex Police have used targeted, evidence-led policing to reduce crime in so-called “hotspot areas”. She was also told about how a partnership approach at The Level had reduced antisocial behaviour in the park by 55 per cent.

Those of us who live in the area and who do our shopping on nearby London Road might beg to disagree.  In the thirty years that I have lived and worked in this area I can honestly say that crime and anti-social behaviour is now at an all-time high.  I can accept that reported crime might have reduced but what is the point of reporting crime when the police do not respond.  There is open shoplifting and drug dealing, including on The Level, notwithstanding periodic initiatives by the police.

Last week the council agreed new tougher measures against taggers and fly tippers. Vandals caught tagging will by fined up to £500, an increase from £150, while fines for fly tipping will go from £400 to £1,000, littering from £150 to £300 and fly posting from £150 to £500.  Councillor Tim Rowkins, who chairs the the Environment, South Downs and Sea Committee, said: “Graffiti is a blight on the city and we need to get on top of the problem.”  He said that increasing fines was only as good as enforcement and that, in the past six months, three times as many graffiti perpetrators had been caught as in the same period last year.

There is some suggestion that taggers will be required to clean up their vandalism.  I won’t hold my breath.  Yes, there will be some high-profile examples of this happening, but I am unconvinced by this style of ‘muscular politics’. We’ve seen it before with Trump, that he would build the wall and “the best part is that Mexico will pay for it.”  A lot of people believed him.  Similarly Sunak pledged to “stop the boats” yet they still come. Braverman’s dream of seeing flights of illegal immigrants taking off for Rwanda remains just that, a dream and a very costly one at that.

I’ve written before that I hate graffiti, especially mindless, destructive tagging. I wrote: “Some shallow individual with obviously no artistic talent, in a pathetic attempt to be noticed, creeps around town at night spraying tags that are neither artful nor edifying. Some of the aerosol paints used are bad for the environment, and damage the brickwork. It puts private individuals, the council, charities and businesses to unnecessary expense.  While middle class Brighton might decry tagging, it has a contradictory and permissive attitude to so-called street art. I see very little difference between this and nighttime tagging. Both deface buildings and public places. While the artistic merit of street art might be one notch up from tagging, it does nothing for me.”

I wish the new Labour administration well with its initiative.  It already has had some success with clearing the weeds from our pavements, and for that they should be applauded.  I will continue to watch the state of graffiti and tagging in the city, starting with the appalling state of the skateboard park on The Level. The City Council previously clarified that the “only piece of graffiti that is acceptable would be commissioned murals” and “any other graffiti is classed as ‘problem graffiti’.”  Hopefully the Labour administration will demonstrate that, unlike its predecessor, it is not hypocritical and will get its own house in order on The Level.

Misogyny, sexism and male-on-female violence is a problem for men to resolve, not women

(This item was first published in the Brighton Argus on 13th October 2021. The sentences in italics were removed by the Argus prior to publication).

The sexual assault of a woman in Meeting House Lane has been described by police as ‘an isolated incident’ as reported in the Brighton Argus yesterday (12th October 2021). How can something be described as isolated when sexual harassment and sexual assaults are a daily occurrence, where domestic sexual assaults are commonplace, and when at least three women are murdered each week.

The one thing that brings all these together, making them not isolated incidents, is that the perpetrators are almost exclusively men.

It is one reason why I am supporting the fantastic #CallHimOut initiative by the Lewes Football Club’s men’s team against the epidemic of misogyny, sexism and male-on-female violence. In a statement the club has said that “it’s time, it’s way beyond time, that men took personal responsibility for what all women have to endure, day in, day out. This is a problem for men to resolve, not women.”

The principle of #CallHimOut is that whenever a man hears or sees something said or done that they feel is disrespectful, sexist or harmful in any way to a woman, whether she’s there or not, they will speak to that man and they will #CallHimOut. 

I know from personal experience that doing so isn’t easy, particularly in a sporting environment. Back in the early 1990s after I objected to sexist exchanges in the pub after a cricket game, I was never again asked to play for the team. It was distressing but nowhere near as distressing as the experience of women who are on the receiving end of demeaning comments, unwanted advances, and ‘isolated’ sexual assaults.

There is an increasing recognition of unhealthy attitudes and dangerous behaviours in police forces up and down the country. Perhaps male officers in Sussex Police and the Police Federation itself could #CallHimOut and, thereby, begin to rebuild trust in policing. 

Has there been a 100% increase in rough sleeping in Brighton and Hove in the last year?

In the Brighton Argus today (16 December 2016) it is reported that the number of rough sleepers in Brighton and Hove has doubled over the last year.

144 people were counted as sleeping rough on the night of Tuesday, November 8. Last year, the count was 71.

Does this mean that there has been more than a 100% increase? The answer is no. It is my view that there was a great underestimate last year and in previous years, and that rough sleeping numbers have held quite steady for the last three years or so. What has changed is the greater visibility of people sleeping in doorways and elsewhere  throughout the city.

I agree with Councillor Clare Moonan who is quoted in today’s Argus as saying: “At first glance, the number seems to show a large increase on last year’s estimate. The reality is that we now have a more accurate reflection of the situation in the city. This year’s estimate is the most involved and detailed we’ve ever done. We feel that as far as possible we have included all of the rough sleepers on the cities boundaries who are currently not engaging with our mainstream services.

“Understanding the needs of rough sleepers in the city helps us to make sure the right services are in place. Key to this is knowing how many people are in need and where to find them.”

The fact that the number of rough sleepers has remained relatively constant, while not anything to celebrate, it is a recognition of the work that is being done in the city, led by Clare Moonan and the City Council, in partnership with a number of organisations including the Clock Tower Sanctuary, Brighton Housing Trust, Downslink YMCA, Equinox, St Mungo’s, Off the Fence, Sussex Police and others.

If it was not for the efforts of these organisations, the numbers on the street would be much, much higher.

For example, last year BHT’s First Base Day Centre, arguably the main hub for working with rough sleepers in the city, in partnership with other organisations, helped 306 people to move off the streets, that is more than one person for every day that we were open.

The London-based charity, St Mungo’s was awarded a contract last year which included the target of reducing rough sleeping by 20% year on year. While that has not been achieved in the first year of the contract, I am hopeful that the service that they promised will be effective in helping to achieve our shared objectives of ending rough sleeping in the City.

But whether there is one rough sleeper or 144, just one is too many. We need to do everything we can to reduce the number. I still remain hopeful that we can eradicate rough sleeping in one of the richest cities in one of the richest countries in the world.

To support the BHT Christmas Appeal for First Base:

• Donate through our website
• Text BHTF50 £(amount) to 70070
• Send a cheque payable to ‘Brighton Housing Trust’ to 144 London Road, Brighton, BN1 4PH.

“Stick It Up” says Brighton and Hove Trading Standards & the Home Sweet Home Campaign

One of the least heralded parts of local government is the Trading Standards Department. I think Trading Standards represents local government at its very best, quietly, year after year, protecting the interests of ordinary people.

Trading Standards rarely feature in high profile, glossy publications. Yet they do the nitty-gritty consumer work.

That is why I am delighted that Brighton and Hove’s Trading Standards Department was highlighted in a press release from the City Council on Friday for its work on the Lettings Agents Project which is designed to ensure that all local letting agents are complying with the new laws.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires letting agents to display all fees charged to landlords and tenants, both on their website and at the premises. It is also a legal requirement for letting agents to be members of an approved redress scheme. Failure to comply with these laws can result in a fixed penalty fee of up to £5,000.

In Brighton and Hove, Trading Standards have been working with the Home Sweet Home campaign to identify which agents are not following the law.

A lot of credit must go to Home Sweet Home for the campaign they have been running over recent years to improve and protect the rights of people who rely on the services provided by letting agents. Do look at their website for an example of their campaigning work.

A couple of years ago I was involved in a completely different campaign, to revoke the license of a retailer who was selling dangerous high volume alcohol to street drinkers. The campaign brought together, not in any formal way, the London Road Local Action Team, Sussex Police, Trading Standards, the Licensing Department, a local councillor, and others.

I must say how impressed I was by the officer from Trading Standards and the work that the department had done, not least in identifying alcohol on which Duty had not been paid.

When local authorities hand out awards and recognise public service in other ways, I hope that Trading Standards, along with environmental health officers, are at the front of the queue to be recognised and honoured.

We should never tolerate homelessness

This is the text of my Opinion column published in the Brighton Argus on Friday 5th June 2015

Brighton and Hove is one of the wealthiest cities in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.  So why do we have more than 130 people sleeping rough on our streets?

It is to our collective shame that in recent years the number of men and women who are street homeless in the city has increased. Sleeping rough can be a dangerous and traumatising experience. Many people who sleep rough suffer from multiple health conditions, such as mental health problems and physical illnesses.

Without the work of BHT and our partners, including Brighton and Hove City Council, Sussex Police, CRI, the YMCA and others, there would be many, many more people sleeping on the streets of the city.

The average life expectancy for a man living on the streets is 47 years, for a woman it is just 43.

Rough sleepers are 35 times more likely to kill themselves than the general population.

I believe that by 2020 we should have reached the point where nobody has to be street homeless in Brighton and Hove.

Will this be easy? Absolutely not. Is that possible? Absolutely, yes! Can one charity, like BHT, achieve it on our own?

No, it will take massive collective ambition and effort, political leadership, determination, and a realignment and focus of many services, all coming together with the objective of ending rough sleeping in Brighton and Hove by 2020.

On Saturday, BHT will be launching a major new report saying just that.

Brighton and Hove prides itself for its tolerant and inclusive culture.  But we should never tolerate homelessness.

BHT launches impact report on our work to end rough sleeping in Brighton and Hove

Tomorrow morning (Saturday 6^th June) we will be launching a report on our work in combating street homelessness in Brighton and Hove.

The Impact Report 2015: How BHT combats rough sleeping in Brighton and Hove sets out of the scale of the problem locally and nationally, and looks at what the BHT is doing through its various services to reduce rough sleeping in the City.

There has already been much media interest in the report.  Click here to view the article from The Argus, and here from the Brighton & Hove Independent.

The report sets out our ambition that by 2020 the City should have reached the point where nobody has to be street homeless in Brighton and Hove.

My colleague, Nikki Homewood, who is director of services at BHT, told the press: “BHT aims to combat the worst immediate aspects of homelessness by the provision of basic, life-sustaining services at First Base Day Centre. We provide the basic amenities that most of us take for granted: food, company, washing facilities, clean and dry clothes.”

She said that those living on the street have a high mortality rate and a shorter life expectancy than the general population: “National statistics evidence that women who are homeless have an average life expectancy of 43 and men 47; that long term rough sleepers are 35 times more likely to kill themselves than the general population and are four times more likely to die from unnatural causes, such as accidents, assaults, murder, and drug or alcohol poisoning.

“In partnership with the NHS and others, First Base ensures that men and women sleeping on the streets of Brighton and Hove can access basic health care.

“The most important thing is to get each person who has to sleep rough, off the street as quickly as possible. BHT provides a range of  services that seek to help people move off the street into stable accommodation, start to overcome the real problems  that resulted in their homelessness, and help them move forward into education, training and employment.

“Without the work of BHT and our partners, including Brighton and Hove City Council, Sussex Police, CRI, the YMCA and others, there would be many more people sleeping on the streets of the city.”

By combating the homelessness of individual men and women, not only do we help them, there are savings for the wider public purse. For example, homeless people are more likely to require ambulance callouts and attendances at accident and emergency units. By getting people off the streets, their health improves and there is less demand on public services.

Looking to the future, nobody should be sleeping rough on the streets of Brighton and Hove, one of the wealthiest cities in one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

It is to our collective shame that in recent years the number of men and women who are street homeless in the city has increased. Sleeping rough is a dangerous and traumatising experience. Many people who sleep rough suffer from multiple health conditions, such as mental health problems and physical illnesses.

Therefore, it is our ambition that by 2020, we will have reached the point where nobody has to be street homeless in Brighton and Hove.

Will this be easy? Absolutely not. Is that possible? We believe so. It will take massive collective ambition and effort, political leadership, determination, and a realignment and focus of many services, all working  together with the objective of ending rough sleeping in Brighton and Hove by 2020.

A client from First Base Day Centre summed up the importance of the work of First Base: “First Base is the backbone of Brighton – everything for rough sleepers evolves around it. Without First Base nothing would work”.

We need to help homeless people to permanently move off the streets

I was asked by the Brighton Argus for my comments about the ‘homeless campsite’ that has appeared in the Old Steine.  Below is my full comment but the text in bold italics was not published in the version that appears in today’s edition of the paper (18/04/15):

“Rough sleeping in Brighton and Hove has become a political and public priority.  Through partnerships and co-operation that exists within the City, involving BHT, the City Council, Sussex Police, CRI, and other organisations, we have prevented the situation becoming much worse.

“The average age of a man who is street homeless is 47, for a woman just 42.  We do not see street homelessness as a viable or valid lifestyle choice and have absolutely no interest in seeing people stay on the streets a moment more than is necessary. The work of First Base is aimed at helping people to get off the streets, and to bring about change that leads to housing and employment.  Hostels should be a launching pad for similar change.

“I want to reach the point where nobody has to be street homeless in Brighton and Hove”