Brighton and Hove residents raise anti-social behaviour issues after flat fire

Residents’ association chair Georgina Parke said that the high-rise block, Theobald House, was “the city pharmacy” and that families had to step over people doing drugs.

She also said that Brighton and Hove City Council was failing to carry out repairs despite repeated requests.

Ms Parke called for better security at the flats, in Blackman Street, Brighton, when she addressed the council’s Housing and New Homes Committee on Wednesday (13 March).

She asked what it would take to have a 24-7 on-the-door concierge and a building manager, adding: “We’re the city pharmacy.”

Ms Parke said that residents were left facing the “the chaos of anti-social behaviour that’s not been dealt with multiple times”.

She said: “(There have been) multiple failures of reporting and being able to report (issues) safely.

“We’ve got kids. Many families now are stepping over people doing drugs and stuff on the side.”

The issues had been raised at the past 20 residents’ association meetings, she said, adding: “It seems we actually need somebody on site going around this building checking for repairs.

“I’ve checked the caretaker’s key roles. He’s got too much work and it’s not within his roles to keep chasing up repairs that have been reported.

“If you report a repair and it doesn’t get done in a certain time, it’s deleted off the system.

“We’ve got pigeons living in the roof and the internal part of the premises.

“I’ve put in at least three or four repairs and the last time I phoned up to check them they weren’t on the system because they’d not been actioned. They’d been removed.”

Ms Parke said that she was not the building manager but had a job although she tried to support her neighbours.

She also asked for an updated tenants handbook, with details on fire safety, after a fire started in the early hours of Sunday 18 February.

Labour councillor Gill Williams, who chairs the council’s Housing and New Homes Committee, offered to look into the repairs issue personally, as did the council’s assistant director for housing Martin Reid.

Councillor Williams said: “We will be investing significantly in Theobald House over the next two years. The planning will be taken forward in consultation with tenants and leaseholders.

“I do appreciate and I am aware of what has happened with the fire and how this has significantly impacted on residents and how frightened they must have been at this time.

“I do think this is an opportune time to have a look at all of these issues.”

Councillors have approved a budget of £5 million for “major works” at Theobald House in the coming financial year, starting next month. A further £2.45 million has been provisionally allocated for 2025-26.

Mr Reid said that a residents’ meeting was due to take place next week with officers from the housing department and representatives from East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service.