Council leader Bella Sankey has criticised the government for telling Brighton and Hove City Council to form a local growth hub with neighbouring West Sussex County Council.
The Labour councillor said yesterday (Thursday 25 April): “We completely oppose the government’s plans for West Sussex and Brighton and Hove to become one ‘functioning economic area’.
“Not only are the economies of Brighton and Hove and West Sussex clearly distinct and operate across different geographies, Brighton and Hove is a city that drives jobs and investment across a larger functioning economic area.
“The government’s decision is so illogical that I can only conclude that this is one of the many last-ditch attempts by this failing Tory government to bolster its support in the counties to the detriment of our city.
“I have written to the minister and requested a rethink of this approach and will continue to lobby on behalf of our city.”
The marriage of inconvenience has been brought about by the government’s decision to stop funding local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) including Coast to Capital (C2C).
C2C covers an area that includes not just Brighton and Hove and West Sussex but the Lewes district as well as East Surrey, with Gatwick airport at the heart of the area.
In their place, the government wants regional growth hubs made up functioning economic areas with a minimum population of 500,000.
It was this proposal that prompted Councillor Sankey to speak out as the council’s Strategy, Finance and City Regeneration Committee met for the last time before the council scraps its decision-making policy committees in favour of a cabinet set up.
Brighton and Hove and West Sussex will be expected to come up with arrangements for local economic planning that enable business to be represented as well as to deliver some government programmes.
Projects supported by the LEP included £12 million towards the work that is under way at Black Rock, £1.5 million towards faster broadband infrastructure, known as the Brighton fibre ring, and £3 million towards the Corn Exchange restoration.
The LEP also awarded funding of £7 million towards the Advanced Engineering Centre, in Brighton, channelled grants to the council for the revamp of the area from The Level to the sea, now known as Valley Gardens and loaned £4 million to the Brighton i360.
The government has said that, as LEPs were set up as private enterprises, they may choose to continue operating.
The council is also a member of the Greater Brighton Economic Board which covers council areas from Arun to Lewes and from Brighton and Hove to Crawley. The economic board has not met in public since last July.
