"London Road has not been ignored"

5:17pm Friday 5th September 2008

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Police and council chiefs have denied a run-down road has been sacrificed at the expense of other areas in a city.

Sussex Police Chief Inspector Laurence Taylor and Brighton and Hove City Council leader Mary Mears spoke during an hour-long grilling from readers of The Argus as part of our Friday Inquisition feature.

They were answering questions from residents and traders along London Road who believe the once prosperous shopping area has been left to decay.

Mrs Bailey, who submitted a question to The Argus website, asked: “We have so many off licences open late, rehab centres and needle exchanges in this area we feel as though the council is trying to contain drug and alcohol problems in this area.

“How come the council have allowed all these things to open in this one place and why are facilities for drug addicts not spread throughout the city?”

Coun Mears replied: “I can understand why you might think this is the case, but the fact is treatment facilities and support centres exist all across the city.

“Where people have problems, we’re committed to offering help and support.”

Ch Insp Taylor said: “I’d like to add that whilst it’s very easy to assume that all people seeking support from such centres are involved in crime, it must be recognised that on the whole they want help and support in changing the direction of their life.

"There is very strong evidence across the city that intervening at this early stage has a significant impact in the reduction of crime.”

Johnny asked: “It seems like the police are happy for London Road to be a hangout for drug users and petty criminals. Is this true?

“Are you letting them hang around there just so they don’t cause more problems somewhere else instead?”

Ch Insp Taylor replied: “Firstly, no this isn’t true. There are no parts of Brighton more important than another in terms of policing response, and we will treat all areas with equal importance.

“Obviously some parts of the city will have different issues to contend with than others.

“We put a lot of resources into the London Road area and certainly don’t sit back and ignore issues that come to light.”

Responding to a question from Spencer, coun Mears said the authority was making plans to improve London Road.

She said: “There have been many changes in the London Road area over the years, which has contributed to this decline.

“The council recognises that London Road is one of the main areas we need to concentrate on and plans are being developed to address this.”

For full details of all the questions and answers, visit theargus.co.uk and click The Friday Inquisition.

Who would you like to see quizzed in The Friday Inquisition? Tell us below or email news@theargus.co.uk

What steps do you think should be taken to clean up London Road? Call the news desk on 01273 544516 or leave your comments below.