It could almost be an episode of Yes Minister. Brighton and Hove City Council, with 280,000 residents, is desperate to hit Whitehall’s arbitrary threshold of 300,000 for unitary councils.
Their solution? Annex the villages of Kingston Ward to the east – a 1,900-strong community near Lewes and inside the South Downs National Park.
Last Wednesday (13 August), at a packed parish hall meeting, with standing room only, over 100 Kingston Village residents rejected the plans unanimously.
The irony wasn’t lost on them: Brighton’s consultation offered no “no change” option and councillors are barred from holding meetings in the very areas they hope to absorb.
As one local put it: “It’s democracy by clipboard – you can tick any box you like, so long as it says Brighton.”
The consequences, residents warn, are far from comic
- Split education system: primary schools run by Brighton, while secondary schools remain under East Sussex
- Service risk: Lewes District’s higher recycling rates and food waste collection could be lost to Brighton’s weaker system
- Rural mismatch: a national park ward governed by a city council with no track record of administering rural communities outside its urban boundary
- Transport strain: potential housing growth in Newhaven adding pressure to the C7 and A26 roads
- Concerns that Brighton’s needs will always take precedence over rural voices if the takeover goes ahead
Residents said: “Our ties are with Lewes, not Brighton. This is a land grab dressed up as reform. We don’t want to be swallowed by a city council that has no understanding of rural communities.”
Questions remain unanswered. Why was expansion to the west dismissed as “financially unviable”? Brighton has published no evidence. A freedom of information request has been lodged to uncover the reasoning.
The Kingston meeting closed with residents playing a cover version of the Village People song Go West.
It was more than a joke: in Whitehall’s numbers game, expansion westwards made more sense – but Brighton has turned east instead.
As Sir Humphrey might have said: “That’s not because it’s logical, Minister. It’s because it’s easier.”
Tony Wheeler is a member of the Keep Kingston in Lewes Community Action Group.
Kingston ward resident here.
Mr Wheeler makes several weak points here. Firstly, split education is already an issue. Some Peacehaven kids go to Longhill (under BHCC) and some Woodingdean kids go to Priory (under ESCC).
Lewes District is being abolished, so the recycling rates will be new as the new council for E.Sussex will include everything from Rye to Ditchling.
Kingston being in the national park is irrelevant. Several areas of Brighton and Hove are also in the national park like Hollingdean, Hangleton, Woodingdean, Stanmer and Rottingdean. Brighton isn’t all like the North Laine.
Each council now has mandatory housing targets on top of planning reforms coming in. Its just as likely that E.Sussex will be eying up Newhaven land for some new developments putting strain on the coast road.
And finally, “concerns that Brighton’s needs will always take precedence”…why wouldn’t they? As the author points out Kingston has 1900 residents and Brighton has 280,000. but even ignoring that – its the job of our councillor to do a good job standing up for us. If they’re no good at standing up for us – we will get someone else in!
I think we’d our rural voice and needs will be more overshadowed by problems in towns like Hastings, Bexhill, Eastbourne and the other 500,000 residents of E.Sussex
Also given the meeting was titled “Keep Kingston in Lewes Group meeting” I am not surprised it was unanimously against the joining BHCC… not aimed at enticing the open minded/pro side it seems to me