On Tuesday 17 June, Brighton Chamber hosted hundreds people from across Sussex at The Old Market in Hove - to dig into the messy, political, and high-stakes question: what would devolution actually mean for Brighton & Hove, and the wider region?
This was a punchy debate. Big questions, sharp insight, and a real sense that the room was ready for better information, better engagement, and an ambitious vision for a newly constituted Sussex & Brighton.
Here’s what stood out.
🎤 The panel, chaired by Natalie Orringe from Strategy + Impact, featured:
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Jess Gibbons, Brighton & Hove City Council’s CEO, offered a calm view from inside a city testing what devolution could mean – while navigating structural reform, funding chaos, and public trust challenges.
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Richard Freeman, CEO of always possible (and project lead for Sussex And The City), challenged the room to think psychologically rather than just about technical reform: how does place shape social mobility? What kind of Sussex are we building?
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Sarah Springford, CEO of Brighton Chamber, grounded things in real business needs – especially around housing, transport and a joined-up regional economy.
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Leon Treasure and Lila Crockett, from Brighton & Hove Youth Council, stole the show – reminding the audience that this future belongs to them too, and young people are ready to help design it.
🗳️ The issues: leadership, legitimacy and a lot of questions
Audience contributions came thick and fast. Priorities listed on the night (soon to be published by the Chamber) centred on:
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Housing – as a crisis, as an economic bottleneck, and as a moral imperative.
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Transport – across the whole region, not just Brighton’s patchwork.
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Skills – especially around digital, green industries and school-to-work pathways.
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Inclusivity and trust – how will this process avoid being Brighton-centric, elite-led or hijacked by party politics?
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Comms – described by one Chamber member as “appalling” so far. Attendees called for plain English, smart design, cross-sector messaging and transparency.
⚠️ Not everyone left hopeful
While many were energised, others left confused – concerned that the devolution conversation is being rushed, under-communicated and overly procedural. There’s hunger for a vision – not just consultation schedules.
💡 What now?
This autumn will see further engagement events, ahead of a deal being negotiated in early 2026. Local government reorganisation (unitaries, boundaries) is running in parallel, but isn’t the same thing. As one attendee put it: “we’re all flying the plane while building the runway.”
One clear message: The future Sussex mayor needs to listen, collaborate – and quickly build a team that understands the county beyond the Brighton bubble, whilst also not creating an anti-Brighton populist rhetoric.
👉 You can read Flo Powell's blog on the event here and Natalie Orringe's reflections here.
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