Tim Ridgway’s Latest News
City Deal makers
Greater Brighton has become a reality with the signing of the City Deal.
Politicians and dignitaries joined to witness the ink drying on a document which pledges to create 8,500 jobs, build up to 200 homes and bring more than £360 million into the local economy, as well as turning the wider Brighton area into a hub for creative and green industries. At the heart of the deal is a £24.5 million investment in Brighton’s New England House, with £5 million coming from the government. So the tower block made a fitting setting for cities minister Greg Clark, Brighton and Hove City Council leader Jason Kitcat and other dignitaries to mark its launch.
Cllr Kitcat, who took part in the pitch for extra powers to ministers and officials, rejected claims it would undermine the uniqueness of individual areas, adding it was the “beginning of a great opportunity” for the wider Brighton area.
To see more, visit www.thelatest.tv.
Rainy day fund
Storm damage at a Hove church is being repaired with help from the Churches Conservation Trust and government funding. High winds and heavy rains in recent months have seen water damage internal lighting at the Grade I listed St Andrew’s Church in Waterloo Street, Hove. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has now announced it will fund the urgent repairs being carried out by the trust, including those at St Andrew’s. Work is expected to be completed this month.
Rebel Green dream fails
So it look like Brighton and Hove council leader Jason Kitcat has staved off a coup from within his own party to oust him – for now.
A year after fending off a similar threat, the elected head of Brighton and Hove City Council is facing more unrest within the Green Party.
As reported exclusively by The Latest last month, a group of rebels want to change the way the convener of the Green group on the local authority
is elected.
“Greater Brighton has become a reality”
A motion was due to be discussed at a party meeting at the end of last month. The Latest understands the motion was postponed due to the council’s budget needing more time to be discussed. Senior party figures claim it is unlikely it will be brought back in time to alter the convenor election for 2014/15.
However, whether there will be a direct challenger is yet to be established.
Historical snapshot
A snap decision by tourists on Brighton seafront to get a souvenir could see the creation of a historical document with a difference.
Ed Hepburne Scott, of Photomatic in York Road, Hove, has applied to install a photo booth near the basketball court on the lower promenade, opposite the
Grand Hotel. For £3, users can get hold of four different black and white photos, complete with Brighton logo. But this is not just another way to make a quick buck out of the city’s eight million visitors. According to the planning application, which was submitted last week, all of the images will be archived and may be used as an historical and social document of Brighton residents and visitors to the city. A decision on the proposal is due to be taken in the coming months.
Back to school
Last week I asked if Brighton and Hove school chiefs were getting to grips with the “ticking time bomb” of school places.
But now it has emerged that two full schools – Dorothy Stringer and Varndean – are being asked to find room for 22 more pupils who live in their joint catchment area. The 22 pupils are among 115 children who were “directed” to a secondary school, according to admissions statistics published last week.
Brighton and Hove City Council, which runs the admissions process, said it was “confident” the schools could take the extra 22 pupils without breaching their capacity. It added that experience suggested that places would become available between offer letters being sent and September – saying some families move, others opt for another school, perhaps an independent school.
