City Deal; The beginning of a great city region

A City Deal for the Greater Brighton City Region has been agreed with government. It marks the start of a wider long term commitment to investment in the Greater Brighton City Region.

Greater Brighton will bring partners together from across the city region – working with a commitment to securing a vibrant local economy which will provide jobs, culture, education and housing to over 600,000 people.

Greater Brighton City Region will drive growth, support ambition and improve job prospects, earnings and business opportunities. It will enable the area to fulfil its economic potential, turning it into one of the highest performing urban economies in the UK operating on an international stage.

Brighton & Hove City Council Leader Jason Kitcat said “Greater Brighton City Deal is just the beginning of a collaborative approach which will see the city and the surrounding region reach its potential. The ambition and commitment which have brought City Deal to fruition will also mean we can bring more jobs and better housing , better infrastructure and a more vibrant regional long term economy. This is the beginning of an exciting journey to devolving more powers and responsibility to our city region.”

John Peel OBE, Chairman of Coast to Capital LEP commented: “This is excellent news for the people and businesses of the Greater Brighton area. The City Deal is likely to significantly increase confidence among those currently considering investment in the area and provide exceptional opportunities for future growth. It is a fine example of how partnerships between the public and private sectors can make a significant difference to the future prosperity of an area.”

The University of Brighton’s Vice Chancellor Professor Julian Crampton said; The University of Brighton is happy to be an active partner in the City Deal. It will enable our expertise in research to be widely shared to benefit the local economy and create jobs for both our graduates and the workforce more generally. Universities like ours are the anchor to the fast moving businesses for which the city is becoming known. 

Andrew Swayne – Chair – Adur and Worthing Business Partnership; “City Deal builds on and formalises many years of partnership working in the City Region. I welcome the commitment of government funds to the area to enable a platform for growth in our economy and much needed key infrastructure improvements to release potential in our workforce. Its particularly important to see the Universities and key businesses collaborating to maximise the potential from the considerable science, technology, engineering and maths skills we have in the area. I look forward to progress on flood defences in Adur and Newhaven which should release many future employment sites.”

Neil Parkin Leader of the Adur Council said: “Adur and Worthing Councils are committed to partnerships that bring real value to their communities. Greater Brighton City Deal promises the prospect of delivering sustainable economic growth; I hope this is the start of something big."

How will it happen?

  • The City Deal will build on some of Greater Brighton’s emerging success stories. Brighton’s creative-tech cluster has grown from nothing over the past decade, and now boasts over 1,500 high-value businesses, as many as east London’s Tech City.
  • Greater Brighton is also attracting significant investments from a range of green industries, from offshore renewables to vehicle emissions research, and has the skill base to become a centre for this type of business.
  • City Deal is expected to deliver:
  • 1,300 jobs in the short-term, rising to 8,500 jobs and 361m in annual GVA over the medium-term;
  • A £24.5m investment in the flagship New England House, with an extra 7,000m2 of floorspace for creative-tech businesses
  • £173m of investment in the medium term, creating a network of Growth Centres across the City Region
  • The unlocking of sites to deliver up to 2000 new homes over the medium term
  • A 1.8m integrated business support programme across the Greater Brighton and wider Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership area
  • Unlocking flood defences

Background

The Greater Brighton City Region encompasses Brighton & Hove, Lewes, Mid-Sussex, Adur and Worthing. It represents over 680,000 residents and almost 30,000 businesses and plays a significant role in the economy of the south east and the United Kingdom as a whole

A new Greater Brighton Economic Board will meet for the first time in April and will bring together public sector leaders, business partners, and educational representatives to oversee a 6-year programme of investment in job, housing, and business and skills support.  

The Greater Brighton Economic Board has four key priorities;

  • Creating more jobs and businesses -  through a new network of Growth Centres across the Greater Brighton City Region.  Developing a city region that is attractive to businesses; and provides the amenities and infrastructure businesses need to thrive - unlocking developments to create space for businesses to grow
  • Achieve higher wages and skills, working with our universities and colleges to creating high value jobs and to develop skills system that is accessible and meets the needs of new sectors in our changing economy
  • Create more a better housing and employment space – unlocking housing and employment development sites through investment in flood defences and infrastructure
  • Providing a city region programme of business support, including grants for businesses who are struggling to access finance, starting with the £1.8m programme received through City Deal

The partners will work together to influence and shape future Government policy which will boost the local economy and champion local regeneration schemes, proving that local solutions are more effective than national interventions.

By bringing these interests together, the Greater Brighton Economic Board will work collaboratively across the city region to provide the skills, amenities and infrastructure businesses need to thrive - a whole will be created that is greater than the sum of its parts.

More information:

The Greater Brighton City Region covers Adur and Lewes District Councils, Worthing Borough Council, Burgess Hill area of Mid- Sussex District Council, Brighton University and Sussex University along with Brighton & Hove City Council. The bid is supported by a range of local businesses and organisations including the two universities, business associations in the region and key companies looking to invest in the area such as EON, American Express, Ricardo, and EDF.

More information on the Government’s City Deal programme can be found here