Hi

These regular bite-sized emails are from the always possible team.

Thank you for joining us on this journey. We are together understanding the opportunities and risks facing growth, sustainability and identity in Sussex.

Sussex And The City is an independent and non-political project, clarifying the major reorganisation affecting Sussex and Brighton over the next two years.

// Share your thoughts on our LinkedIn page

// Subscribe to the weekly podcast

// Keep visiting the website, as it becomes a resource hub

You can unsubscribe at any time. But we'd love you to build something with us, and share with others! Send us thoughts, news and questions by replying to this email.

Can devolution improve Sussex' social mobility crisis

Young people in Sussex face significant barriers to opportunity - barriers that begin early and persist into adulthood. Two new reports, from Impetus and the Sutton Trust, reveal the scale of the challenge and the need for bold, localised action as Sussex prepares for devolution and structural reform.

🔗 Read the Impetus report
🔗 Explore the Sutton Trust Opportunity Index

📉 Brighton & Hove and East Sussex: NEET hotspots in the South

According to Impetus' Youth Jobs Gap report:

• Brighton & Hove is one of the worst areas in the South for NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) outcomes among disadvantaged 18–24-year-olds. Young people here are 103% more likely to be NEET than the national average.

• In East Sussex, disadvantaged young people are 101% more likely to be NEET. These figures place Sussex alongside some of the most challenged parts of the North West and East Midlands .

This high NEET risk is compounded for young people with SEND or low qualifications. Those facing multiple disadvantage are up to 180% more likely to be NEET .

📊 Social mobility: a fragmented picture across Sussex

The Sutton Trust Opportunity Index adds further evidence. It maps how likely young people from low-income backgrounds are to become high earners by age 28. In Sussex:

• No Sussex constituency ranks in the top 100 for opportunity.

• Areas such as Kemptown & Peacehaven, Worthing West and Hastings & Rye fall into the bottom 20% nationally for mobility outcomes.

• Across Sussex, the percentage of FSM (free school meal) pupils making it into the top 20% of earners by 28 is consistently low - often below 10%

This tells us two things:

1. Early disadvantage in Sussex is sticky - it’s hard to escape, even in areas of apparent prosperity.

2. Brighton’s economic success is not spreading to surrounding towns and coastal communities - or even outside certain parts of the city itself. The benefits are too narrowly distributed.

🧩 What does this mean for local policy?

As Sussex negotiates devolution and possibly elects a regional mayor by 2026, these findings should shape priorities:

• A Sussex-wide Youth Guarantee could ensure all 16–24-year-olds have access to quality education, training or work.

• Investment in post-16 education, transport and digital access needs to be more evenly spread - especially for coastal and rural areas with limited options.

• Brighton’s economic assets (in creative, tech, visitor and green sectors) must be connected more directly to employment and training pipelines for young people in towns like Newhaven, Bognor, and Hastings.

A Combined Authority model is only worthwhile if it closes - not widens - these gaps.

Sussex has talent. But opportunity is not distributed equally.
If the region is serious about inclusive growth, the next two years must focus on guaranteeing young people a fair start, wherever they grow up.

This is a collaborative project.

Co-funded, supported and developed by many people.

The Sussex And The City 100 are an evolving cross sector group of leadership organisations, invested in the future of Sussex and Brighton.

Will you join us?

Been forwarded this email or reading it online? SUBSCRIBE.