A recently published report from social finance lender Social Investment Business looks at how community buildings are investing in increased energy efficiency measures. The research shows that most community buildings in England are taking slower steps towards increased energy efficieny than other non-domestic buildings including offices. This is probably not a surprise to those involved … Read more

We have been made aware of a scam which purports to be from the HSE regarding Electricity at Work Regulations (EAWR). HSE has received reports of letters being sent to organisations supposedly from the EAWR compliance team, using HSE’s Merseyside office address in the letterhead. Some organisations have received follow-up letters serving ‘penalty notices’ and … Read more

We’re absolutely delighted to have received funding from the National Lottery Community Fund to support CBN for the next two years. This will enable us to retain our administrator for that period of time, and it also covers our IT and website costs. With this added stability for the next couple of years, we’ll be … Read more

Looking for something to do in Brighton & Hove and the surrounding area over the summer? Here are some websites which may be helpful. These are external links which contain information about a range of events – some are free, some are at CBN member locations. CBN is not responsible for any of these sites … Read more

We were back at Cornerstone Community Centre for our July meeting, with a small but enthusiastic group of CBN members. We welcomed Jess from the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership to her first CBN meeting. She gave us an update on the progress made to turn a former golf club on the South Downs into … Read more

The Brighton & Hove Albion FC Foundation recently celebrated the opening of its new Community Hub and cafe in Freshfield Road. The Hub is located next to the Foundation’s offices, in the building which was previously the Cuthbert pub. It’s an Albion-themed space which offers local people the opportunity to meet up and chat, with … Read more

The Government’s VCSE Energy Efficiency Scheme has reopened for its final round of applications. This scheme offers voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) based in England the opportunity to apply for a free Independent Energy Assessment (IEA), a comprehensive evaluation of their building’s energy usage, efficiency and potential for energy savings. Successful applicants will … Read more

It was a pleasure to see so many familiar faces again at our latest CBN meeting, we were also joined by a representative from The Edge, attending their first CBN meeting. Our main topic for discussion was Martyn’s Law. We talked through the information we have so far, and discussed how we think it might … Read more

Our next CBN network meeting will be on Tuesday 12th March, 2pm-4pm at St Richard’s Community Centre, Egmont Road, Hove. The main topic for discussion will be Martyn’s Law. With the government consultation currently open for comment, we want to take this opportunity to talk about the draft proposals, think about how they might affect … Read more

The consultation on Standard Tier requirments for Martyn’s Law has now been launched on the Gov.uk website. Standard Tier covers buildings with a capacity of 100-799. It appears that the requirements have been toned down as a result of earlier consultation, to reduce the impact on small buildings and voluntary organisations. Further information about the … Read more