Hove and Portslade MP Peter Kyle officially opened a new youth centre on the Knoll Estate this morning (Friday 10 April).
The Labour cabinet minister cut the ribbon at the Weller Youth Centre, in Knoll Park, off Stapley Road.
Mr Kyle said: “Brighton and Hove is often described as a youthful city but what that usually means is it’s full of people my age who feel youthful.”
He said that it hadn’t always catered well for young people and he praised the Hangleton and Knoll Project for creating a space designed with ideas from young people for young people.
Mr Kyle said that the team at the Hangleton and Knoll Project had brought together a lot of other people too as they turned a vision into a reality.
He said: “For good things to happen, it takes the hard work of a lot of good people. It only takes only one person to say no but it takes a lot of good people to say yes and to work together.”
He was among those who also praised Hangleton and Knoll Project chair Pat Weller who, with her late husband Dave, worked so hard in building the grassroots community group behind the project.
The Weller Youth Centre was funded with a £1.2 million grant awarded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Youth Investment Fund.
The grant was awarded after a successful joint bid by Brighton and Hove City Council and the Hangleton and Knoll Project.
The Hangleton and Knoll Project chief executive Jo Martindale said that the youth centre scheme had taken three years – and was built on time and to budget.
She said: “There is no way to thank everyone who made this possible and there are so many people without whom this wouldn’t have happened.
“Some people in particular went way over and above their normal role to help us.”
These included officials at the DCMS and the council and politicians who “don’t often get the credit they deserve for their public service – but without them this project wouldn’t have happened”.
And she thanked architects, builders and contractors as well as the youth workers and young people who have already breathed life into the building.
Knoll Park’s children’s play area was given a revamp two years ago. The artificial sports pitch is due to be resurfaced this year. And the neighbouring bowls club, which tends to attract a older crowd, begins its new season next week.
Pat Weller praised the youth workers whose time, commitment and dedication was so vital and added: “Without all the volunteers, the project wouldn’t happen.”
She remembered her late husband Dave, organising community barbecues for young people, among other things, and said: “I am proud – not for myself but for my family.”
The mayor of Brighton and Hove, Amanda Grimshaw, who represents Hangleton and Knoll on the council, congratulated all those involved for their work on the scheme and the youth workers and young people.
Labour councillor Emma Daniel, the council’s cabinet member for children, families and youth services, said: “The Weller Youth Centre is a safe and fun environment that has been co-designed with young people throughout its development to give them the best start in life.
“The Hangleton and Knoll Project’s relentless commitment to provide services the local community wants and needs makes it an incredible asset to the city.
“This ambition has been matched by the council and reflected in the government’s funding of this project.
“Initiatives like the Youth Investment Fund and Young Futures Hubs demonstrate a fundamental shift away from the previous government’s moral neglect of children and young people, making this an absolute priority going forwards.
“As a council, we’re determined to ensure young people have more input into policy-making through our youth council. I hope that the children and young people in Hangleton and Knoll take that opportunity and continue to shape our services and priorities.”
The Labour councillor ought go know the Youth Investment Fund was set up more than 4 years ago by the previous Conservative Government. The funding bid for the new Youth Centre was submitted when the Greens ran the Council and the Tories were still in office in Westminster. Labour are there for the cutting of the ribbon and the making of snide remarks it would seem. There’s much to be said for the example of the Labour MP who seems to have a better sense of when to be tribal and adversarial and when to be gracious.
A good idea is a good idea, regardless of where it came from. Labour was right to continue it too!
Don’t make this political! It’s a project carried by human beings passionate about young people and their wellbeing regardless of political party. Celebrate the human beings who made this happen, NOT the political party for goodness sake. Just be happy it’s happened!
Sadly it is already political when the opening is done by an MP and the first third of this article is about that.
The real story is the work of community campaigners on the ground, like Pat Weller and her late husband. It’s a shame that Peter dominates this article and the hard work of the local community isn’t the headline – it should be imo.
Blame B&H News if you don’t like the way the article is written ot the headline.
Amd Peter Kyle did say this
“He was among those who also praised Hangleton and Knoll Project chair Pat Weller who, with her late husband Dave, worked so hard in building the grassroots community group behind the project.”
Yep – but Labour in Brighton and Hove don’t do gracious.
I imagine we’ll be seeing more of Peter Kyle locally as he tries to cling on to his seat before the next General Election. The rumour is that when Labour are decimated in the local elections in May, he’s in line to lose his Cabinet position in the likely reshuffle when Keir tries to cling on rather than get the message that Labour’s time is done.
It is such a shame that Labour are so unwilling to do grown up politics, find common ground with others, and work alongside other parties for the good of the city. I can’t remember the last time I saw a comment from Council Leader Bella Sankey where she didn’t take a pop at Greens. It just looks a bit sad and increasingly desperate. Residents aren’t idiots and can see the Labour spin machine when it is in overdrive.
I’m not a fan of the political jabbing either.
Particularly when it Labour Vs Green, there is usually quite common ground, it’s mainly method that’s the debate.
VSCE is great example of a much more collaborative environment. People have their political opinions, sure, but the focus is on the community and achieving the best outcomes for that community.
You are very wrong on the common ground Benjamin. Peter is part of the centre right part of the Labour Party, who resemble old school Tories when you look at them policy wise. The difference between him and many Greens is much more than method of debate.
Putting your incorrect political observation aside though Benjamin, this community centre is a very positive project, and well done to all in the community who made it happen.
I mean, is that not just a fallacious argument of composition, and completely ignoring the broadness of the left in general? Because the counter argument is that to look at all the things that both parties align on, such as housing, renters’ reform, climate, net zero, public transport, active travel, and community buildings.
To point to one person and say that representative of everyone in that party, is pretty silly, right? Could make some sweeping generalisations myself about any other party, and that would be just as illogical too. Our agreement here that this is a positive article also undermines your own argument!
Mister Peter Kyle should be worried. The Greens have a very credible selection of candidates Lloyd and Bruno especially on the left with a background and passion to take him on.
Ha ha. Its the Green Party after all they will select someone unelectable. I don’t think neither of the will get a looking, unfortunately.
Lloyd would likely go after Ward’s seat, wouldn’t he, if anything? I don’t see Bruno as an MP. I think he speaks from the heart and passionately, but his arguments seem to ignore the limitations of what can be realistically done, in my opinion. May 2027 is going to be interesting, regardless!
Benjamin you are ignoring the that broadness of the left have left or been expelled from this Labour government.
Peter Kyle and ilk a good reason why this has happened.
You speak has if the the party has some redemption
Hmm, can’t deny there’s been an shift to the centre and the left have been squeezed, and thinking of what happened to LRM, which I wholeheartedly disagree with. But I would also say that it’s a hasty generalisation to say that the socialists no longer exist, when we can see examples of them on a regular basis. I didn’t want to detract too much from the story, so I didn’t go into it.
MPs turning up for photo ops is a tale as old as time. I’d expect cross party support for a new youth centre, regardless of the colour of the MP.
Personally, I think Labour needs to move back to the left, because they created a gap to their left, which Greens are moving into. The parties being similar allows an easier transition than say to something mad, like Reform.
But like I said, I’m not a fan of politics in community because it doesn’t belong in the VSCE sector. It’s why spaces like this one are always neutral and non-political in their approach. Investing in our children is something I hope we continue to do so as a society, regardless of our individual politics.
Benjamin, aka walter
this doesn’t read like an argument grounded in reality—it reads like something assembled to *sound* reasonable while sidestepping the obvious.
Calling it “fallacious” to focus on people like Peter Kyle is especially weak. Senior politicians aren’t incidental—they define priorities, set direction, and make decisions. Pretending they’re irrelevant to how a party is judged is either naïve or conveniently selective.
The “common ground” point is even thinner. Listing vague, catch-all topics like housing or climate isn’t evidence of alignment—it’s just repeating generic political branding. By that standard, you could argue almost every party agrees with each other, which makes the point essentially meaningless.
And reducing the actual disagreements to “method” is where the whole thing really falls apart. Method isn’t a footnote—it’s the substance. It’s the difference between doing something meaningful and doing just enough to say you tried. Brushing that aside feels less like analysis and more like avoiding the part of the discussion that doesn’t support your conclusion.
At a certain point, this stops being a balanced take and starts looking like an attempt to smooth over clear, growing divides because acknowledging them is inconvenient.
Yes, the youth centre is a good thing—no one’s disputing that. But using it to imply some wider political harmony just doesn’t hold up.
Who? Gosh, you remind me of Rupert with your level of nonsense…
Without picking part the many faults of that generated misrepresentation, I’m just going to ignore it as the AI slop nonsense it is. When you’re prepared to make your own opinions, then we can talk.
Benjamin, that’s a lot of deflection for someone who still hasn’t actually addressed a single point.
Dismissing everything as “AI” doesn’t make you right—it just makes it obvious you’ve got no answer. And telling people to “make their own opinions” is a bit rich when half your contributions read like recycled talking points you present as your own.
If you can’t engage with the argument, just say that. It’d be more honest than this.
More AI slop. More GPT hallucinations. More LLM contradictory failures. JamesGPT isn’t making a coherent argument, so there’s nothing to engage with – just your flawed reliance on it, James.
What a shame.
Nah
Lol
We do like the changes in your personality… Almost as if there is more than one Benjamin (franks)
“Nah.”
Well, glad we cleared that up!
Nah
I thought that was one of your used terms ?
Oh and lol
Strange. Anyway, I hope we get to read more about the youth hub. It’s an important development.