Your top stories this year – January

As 2025 draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the stories that made the news month by month.

The council took steps to write off a debt of more than £51 million owed by the i360 to enable the sale of the struggling seafront attraction.

Brighton and Hove saw the beginning of the ongoing local government reorganisation kick off as councillors were asked to back taking part in a devolution priority programme.

A restaurant owner lost his bid to keep a glazed extension to the front of his premises.

A former Hove MP was suspended by the Labour Party after serious allegations were made about him. Ivor Caplin was subsequently arrested on suspicion of child sex offences after an online sting. He is still on police bail.

Hove Park School said it was preparing to close its Valley Campus, in Hangleton Way, as pupil numbers fall and, as they fall, income drops.

Bedbugs returned to flats in a Brighton tower block weeks after council contractors sprayed them, according to tenants. As of last month, we were still reporting on the problem there.

A detailed analysis by Brighton and Hove News showed how spending of developers’ payments to the community has shifted significantly over the past four years.