Latest News: Tim Ridgway

This week’s headlines from across the city

COMING TO TOWN
One of the country’s biggest retailers is making moves about coming to Brighton.
After years of false promises, John Lewis has bought a site in the the centre of the city – Boots in North Street no less.
Business leaders claim the move is a clever one – either John Lewis will move into the premises when Boots’ lease is up in three to five years time, or they will use it as a bargaining chip when the revamped Churchill Square shopping centre opens.
Either way it’s good news for the city that the nation’s favourite retailer wants to open up shop here.

SCHOOLS PLAN
The city’s school places crisis has been a perennial problem.
But there’s hope the issue will soon be resolved – after council chiefs announced they’ve teamed up with the University of Brighton to create a new secondary school.
There’s still much discussion over where the site will be, although there’s rumours it will be in the east of the city.
Credit must also be given to the Greens running the local authority who have put national policy to one side – the party opposes free schools – in order to push
forward for the good of Brighton and Hove.

RIGHT STINK 1
Being one of the most visited places in the country can have its negatives, one of which is litter being left on the beach.
So there was no surprise when Brighton got a mention in the Marine Conservation Society’s annual report.
Shoreham was also badly affected.
Apparently there’s been a 6.4% increase in overall beach litter between 2013 and 2014.
Such stark stats have prompted a response from civic leaders – with the message being to anyone heading down to the shore this summer to take it home.

RIGHT STINK 2
Out west and there’s been a bit of a stir caused over the houseboats in Shoreham.
Apparently these stationary vessels are not connected to the local sewers – meaning sewage gets pumped straight into the River Adur.
Tim Loughton MP told Parliament that the mess turned the river a murky colour on some days – a statement which caused a bit of a stink locally.
With Southern Water telling houseboat owners to cough up up to £20,000 each to resolve the issue, expect this story to linger for a few years yet.

TRAVEL BUDDIES
Getting from A to B in our city is difficult at the best of times.
But for those with learning disabilities issues, it can be near impossible.
A new scheme, however, hopes to sort that.

Travel Buddy has seen local charity Grace Eyre team up with Brighton and Hove Buses to launch a programme which helps users to gain the skills and confidence to travel safely in the city.
And with our cameras down at the launch, it seemed to go down a treat.

IN FOR THE CHOP
For years, a woodland in Ovingdean on the edge of the city stood away from human interference.
But recent months have seen the chainsaws move in.

Dozens of trees on land in the Longhill Close area have been chopped down. And with no answers from those that own the land, locals have rallied – collecting hundreds of signatures on a petition to local decision makers.

CHEERS
The 25th Sussex Beer and Cider Festival took place this weekend at the Corn Exchange.
With a host of local ales and other beverages on offer, people were queueing out of the door to sample what was on offer.
Fortunately Latest TV’s cameras were lucky enough to get in – although the reporter was a few hours longer than I thought he’d be in getting back to finish the report …