News: Tim Ridgway

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ELECTION
The starting gun on the 2015 general election race has now been fired. With the dissolution of Parliament yesterday, candidates will now being going gung-ho to try and win your votes.

Brighton and Hove is one of the most interesting places in the country – with five parties set to poll well. But it’s the local election which will be most interesting, with Greens, Conservatives and Labour all believing they can take control of the city council.
Watch this space.

SEAFRONT BOOST
After years of neglect, Brighton and Hove’s seafront is on the up.
Last week it was announced the city council had been granted more than £9 million. This means the urgent reconstruction of the former West Street Shelter Hall will be able to be carried out.

The Victorian structure, which supports the A259 and West Street, is in very poor condition – so the money will be a welcome boost to the city’s shop window.

But with every gain there’s a bit of pain so expect some disruption with roadworks in the coming months.

“BORIS BIKES” FOR BRIGHTON?
Could “Boris Bikes” be coming to Brighton? Well, it seems like the idea is gathering real momentum.
Last week more than £1 million of government money was made available towards the scheme. 

The hope is it would see 430 bikes available from 50 docking stations, serving the city from the marina to Portslade, and along the Lewes Road to the universities.

With the service becoming operational in 2017, the hope is it would get thousands of cars off the road. But the big question is: just how financially viable will it be in Brighton? And what will they be called? 

THIEVES FOILED
When two crooks went into Hove jewellers they thought they would be getting away with hundreds of pounds’ worth of goods. But they didn’t count on the reflex reactions of the shop owner and two members of the public.

After seeing two people snatch items worth £500 from his shop, Simon Cooper of Cooper’s in George Street gave chase. After being joined in his pursuit by two members of the public, the thieves were detained.

Two people were arrested by Sussex Police but were not charged at the time of going to press.

HOVE IS WHERE THE ART IS
When the fourth plinth was installed in London’s Trafalgar Square, a host of artists came up with weird and wacky pieces to fill the space. Now a similar project is being planned for Hove seafront.

Led by the Hove Civic Society, artists can now submit their plans for the platform near the Peace Statue. Expect our city’s bright things to come up with some extremely quirky ideas …

SPORTING SAVIOUR
When a car accident forced former Worthing FC footballer George Dowell to retire from the game, returning to the club was way down his list of priorities.

But now the 22-year-old has become the seaside side’s saviour – with a five-figure investment saving the club from going under.

The money will go into creating a new 3G pitch at Woodside Road, as well as creating a budget for wages for the 2015–16 season.

ROCKING OUT
If you hear punk, then most of you will have visions of Johnny Rotten and The Ramones. But in Brighton, there’s a new breed of rockers.

Meet the Grace Eyre rockers – a band involving people with learning disabilities. And as was apparent when we took our cameras down to the recording studio, this certainly does not stop them from paying some mean tunes.
To watch this – plus all our news clips – check out www.thelatest.tv.