A campaigner has welcomed action after his calls to get a new beach boardwalk finally lit up after more than four years – but says another nearby stretch still needs attention.
Robert Brown, the Liberal Democrat’s spokesman for Kemp Town ward, called for the lights along the Madeira Drive boardwalk to be switched on before the clocks went back in September.
The lights were originally installed when the boardwalk was first built in 2022.
Back in September, UK Power Networks said it was waiting for Brighton and Hove City Council to approve the work – but the council blamed UK Power Network inaction.
After Mr Brown spoke at a council meeting, the lights were finally turned on this week.
He said: “At the recent full council I asked a question highlighting how the Black Rock lights were still not on.
“As a result, the Council acted and the lights have now been turned on along Black Rock and the boardwalk.
“We now need to make sure that there are sufficient lights from the Marina up to the boardwalk where floor sockets have been installed since 2021 – the council can’t congratulate themselves on a job half done.
“We are thankful for this positive start to our short, sustained campaign as safer, brighter areas make a real difference for everyone, especially during the darker months – yet we need more to be done to ensure safety for all.”
A spokeswoman for UK Power Networks said: “We completed the electricity connection for the lighting on Madeira Drive, Brighton, on 4 November.”
Cabinet member for city infrastructure Trevor Muten said: “It is fantastic to see the boardwalk lighting connected and switched on. It was something we made clear to the utility company we absolutely expected to be in place before the dark nights set in and we are pleased this has been done.
“We are aware of issues with street lighting between the boardwalk and the marina and our team is working hard to resolve this issue.
“Having a well-lit seafront is important and we will continue our investment in this area.”
It’s an improvement, but there’s a long way to go. Surveys by Sport England indicate that 47% of women in Brighton and Hove feel unsafe exercising or being outdoors alone after dark, with many reporting worries about sexual harassment, intimidation, or being followed. Businesses and activities on the lower seafront are particularly avoided after dark owing to the beach rapes.
Well done Robert Brown and LibDems for keeping up the pressure to get stuff done. I tend to support Labour as a rule but on a local level it is more about the people and what they actually do for the community.
The ego of Mr Brown has no limits. It seems he knew the council were working on this with the power networks through replies to his questions then when the work is completed, makes it out he did this.
When all along it appears the council did it and were negotiating it months out. This is a common theme of the Lib Dems to piggy back on issues that are being dealt with. They use this tactic up and down the country.
I think the sun is going to set tonight. I’ll write to the gods asking for it and then the press. Oh look it happened, all because of me.
Thank you for the compliment Katy. As you are more than WELL aware, many of the things being done around Kemptown are thanks to us raising these issues at Full Council, in the press and elsewhere. This administration hadn’t done anything for years, it was only when we started to speak out about it were things starting to move, yet yeah, it’s all about me.
Well done Mr Brown. Few things get done nowadays without being chased in this city and nearly five years down the line is a wholly unacceptable wait! Would this have ever been resolved without your intervention? Probably not.
Robert Brown will certainly get my vote at the next local elections in May. He’s not even in council and yet he does so much for the area, he hardly has an ego. The only two with an ego happen to be our two current councillors who are useless and don’t even engage with the locals. They think that they are above answering peoples emails and don’t even live in Kemptown, they have no interest in our concerns, just their egos. Bloody useless the pair of them and the Labour Council we currently have!
Robert does seem to get things done and well done him. He certainly seems more effective than the string of Labour placements foisted on this area have.
I think he would do better as an independent as the Liberals are unelectable much like the Greens due to some of their less palatable notions.
Robert does seem to get things done and well done him. He certainly seems more effective than the string of Labour placements foisted on this area.
I think he would do better as an independent as the Liberals are unelectable much like the Greens due to some of their less palatable notions.