The owner of one of Brighton’s leading venues made a heartfelt plea to councillors to protect and support the city’s LGBT nightlife.
Revenge boss Steve Jones, who also ran the R-Bar until it closed a few weeks ago, spoke for several venues at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting at Hove Town Hall.
Mr Jones called on the council to reflect on its licensing policy and help to revive Brighton’s gay scene. He said that R-Bar, in Marine Parade, closed last month after 21 years – and a week later neighbouring Charles Street Tap closed after 25 years in business.
He told a meeting of the full council that these were not the only venues to have disappeared lately from the LGBTQ+ scene.
Mr Jones said that he came to Brighton when he was looking to go to university 22 years ago as an 18-year-old from Hayling Island “where I was quite literally the only gay in the village”.
He said: “I came to Brighton for the weekend to test the waters and I fell in love with this city. St James’s Street and the surrounding roads had a buzz about them and the whole area felt alive and unapologetically gay.”
A young person coming here today would find somewhere “that still proudly trades on its reputation as the gay capital of the UK but an LGBT nightlife scene that is smaller, quieter and increasingly fragile”.
Mr Jones said: “One in nine adults living in this city identifies as lesbian, gay or bisexual. That is the highest proportion of any local authority in the country.
“LGBT culture does not just appear once a year during Pride. It’s central to this city’s identity.
“Protecting all of Brighton’s nightlife matters. The LGBT venues carry an additional importance. For many people, they are the only place they feel safe and able to simply be themselves.”
Mr Jones called for help and support from the council and set out five priorities for action
- Recognise and invest in Brighton’s LGBTQ+ Quarter year-round by developing a clear plan to improve lighting, cleanliness and the public realm in the St James’s Street, Marine Parade and surrounding area
- Make the area safer with closed-circuit television (CCTV), visible policing and wardens and by tackling anti-social behaviour, street drinking, drug activity and hate crime
- Promote Brighton’s LGBTQ+ identity and offer, not just around Pride, but 365 days a year through Visit Brighton and other promotional partners
- Create a licensing environment that supports responsible nightlife and investment while allowing good operators and new ideas to invest
- Protect permanent venues and develop a long-term nightlife strategy for the full 6pm to 6am economy, including measures to protect existing venues, attract responsible investment, improve transport and safety and support midweek and off-season activity
Labour councillor David McGregor, the council’s cabinet member for the economy, culture, heritage and tourism, said that there had already been positive steps towards supporting the LGBTQ+ economy since a meeting between the council, venues and Sussex Police.
He said fellow Labour councillor Amanda Evans, who chairs the council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee, had been holding evidence sessions to feed into a night-time economy strategy.
Councillor McGregor said: “I want us to show loud and proud the positive impact of our LGBT scene on the city and on the economy.
“I’m also looking at how we commemorate the history of Brighton’s LGBT community because I don’t think we can take it for granted as much as we do and I think it’s a big part of why people come here.”
Councillor McGregor, a former chair of the council’s Licensing Committee, said that local policies had changes, with one aim intended to encourage “good operators”.
