With the aim of making Brighton and Hove “a place where people want to live, work, and learn,” the City Council revealed a plan to invest in the city that would span from 2023 to 2027.
Most recently, a midway point, a 2025 refresh, was showcased to further enforce what the council seeks to deliver through its investment.
Now that the 2025 refresh is underway, as endorsed by the July Cabinet, this is a look at the goals of the plan and how it looks to both embrace the classic uniqueness of Brighton and Hove as well as move its businesses into the future.
Furthering the Fast-Growing Digital Tech Sector
Within the 2023-2027 plan, attention was drawn to the recent successes of Greater Manchester. The city-region leveraged its autonomy under the new devolved powers to transform into one of Europe’s fastest-growing tech cities. Outpacing London, Greater Manchester is primed to hit 2.2 per cent in economic growth by 2027.
Seeing this, the Brighton & Hove City Council wants to work closely with what is already a fast-growing digital and tech sector in the city. Through this, and by partnering with the two universities, they hope to strengthen the knowledge pool in the area and encourage further innovation through partnerships.
As noted by the approach of Greater Manchester, leaning into digital and technological industries is key to the future of business and economic growth. Many UK businesses have embraced the digital space successfully, making themselves all the more accessible to customers. However, going online has its challenges.
Having a website, stacks of options, and easy payment options isn’t always enough anymore. Promotions are often leveraged to establish a business and keep customers coming back for more. This can be seen by free samples offered by businesses like Simply Cook, or the continued promo offer of a casino sign up bonus, which here includes 100 free spins and £100 in bonus funds matched to the first deposit for new players. These boosts are required to be competitive online in the UK, which isn’t always easy to grasp as a new business in the digital space. So, any support to help the transition will be welcomed.
While Business Moves Forward, Brighton also Restores its Heritage
Advancing businesses through the ever-evolving world of tech is vital to economic growth in modern Britain, but it’s also important to make a city somewhere that people want to live to work. This is why the council has dedicated resources to a new Seafront Development Board and keeps up ongoing regeneration projects, like that of the Madeira Terrace.
To achieve this, the council will team up with Brilliant Brighton. Comprised of 517 businesses from the Brighton Business Improvement District, the not-for-profit organisation operates on contributions from these restaurants, salons, shops, cafés, and more. The goal is to make Brighton and Hove an even better place to work, live, and visit.
As such, Brilliant Brighton’s goals directly align with the investment plan of the Brighton & Hove City Council. Already, the organisation delivers Christmas lights, summer dressings, puts out on-street Ambassadors to keep everywhere safe, puts on shopping events, and promotes members across social media. With the help of the council, Brilliant Brighton looks to get a boost in its efforts to attract visitors to the centre and independent retailers.
Moving forward, the council looks to have struck the right balance between upholding what makes Brighton and Hove so appealing while also helping its businesses move with the times.
