Opinion

We are spoilt for choice when it comes to eating out in Brighton and Hove – there are over two thousand restaurants and pubs which serve food after all. We usually rate our visit by the quality of the food and drink that we are served but, too often, we take the service for granted and often...

In five weeks the country goes to the polls. But the way in which our votes are counted in that election urgently needs changing. Our “winner takes all” system of “first past the post” has preserved an artificial two-party state despite politics becoming more diverse than ever. Just one look at...

This Sunday is a day for reflection, a day to thank the brave service men and women who gave their lives for our freedom, a day to remember them. I will be humbled and honoured to lay a wreath at the Old Steine War Memorial on Sunday, along with other city representatives. Brighton and Hove is...

The Prime Minister has fired the starting gun on a general election and he’s got every reason to do so. Some people have accused Boris Johnson of gambling recklessly but there’s the pressing problem of Brexit to resolve and it seems as though only an election will break the impasse. The British...

Fridays are when I get out and about in my ward. Sometimes you can find me at the foodbank in Craven Vale or whizzing around on the bus meeting people in their homes or in cafés to hear about their ideas to improve their local area or listening to problems that need fixing. I often do estate...

We all want to do more to protect the environment: as individuals, as part of the organisation we work for, or for our community. So when Greens found £190,000 to pay for more council capacity to work on reducing emissions, protecting and enhancing wildlife and wider sustainability work, we...

This is an edited version of a Twitter thread by Peter Kyle @PeterKyle … I want to say something about living with acute dyslexia because Twitter can be a pretty unforgiving place for people with unseen challenges. Every day I get picked up on something I write. Mostly it’s kindly or humorous...

This year I am celebrating Halloween without make up. I tumbled on our front steps putting the bins out and took a header into the uncompromising 200-year-old Sussex flint garden wall. I bled like a pig taking blood-thinning tablets. After my wife and son had mopped me up, with the help of my...

Last week, Greens met community campaigners, academics and councillors of all parties to discuss our city’s response to the climate crisis. We are demanding bold action on climate change now. From tackling toxic air pollution to ending fuel poverty and boosting renewable energy, the goal of...

We need more jobs for people living in our city and I am determined to deliver them. One way of doing this is to work with other local authorities across the region through our local enterprise partnership (LEP) which is called Coast to Capital. Coast to Capital is a business-led partnership...

“Demonise the enemy” tactics impress no one – let’s restore some faith in democracy It was ironic that the discussion at the “People’s Parliament” event was on “unity after Brexit”. But given the accusation levelled at a Brexit Party candidate – mid debate – that he’d threatened “civil unrest”...

Government has an opportunity to take bold action to help secure drinking water, mitigate against the impact of climate change and change society’s perception of the value of water. Earlier this month a crucial consultation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on reducing...

Many people said that the Prime Minister Boris Johnson would not be able to renegotiate a new deal on Brexit in 100 days and in fact said it was a mountain that not even Boris could climb. We saw yesterday (Thursday 17 October) that he has achieved what many said was unachievable and on top of...

It’s October which means it’s UK Black History Month, where we recognise and celebrate the legacy and contribution of Britain’s black communities. Brighton and Hove is a diverse city with a rich multicultural heritage, so I’m really proud that our councillors and staff are wearing our “black...

The toll of deaths in sheltered accommodation should be a national scandal. The issue lies squarely with the government’s austerity policies. Comment by Caroline Lucas, reproduced with permission of The Guardian It is every parent’s deepest fear that they might lose their child. When that child...

Even though the dust needs to settle and I need to reflect on the last five years (not wasted) I think people in the city should understand what Brighton and Hoe City Council – officers and members – have done. They have denied the city a new leisure centre to replace the one that is simply a...

This week the Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner announced that Sussex Police will get funding for 379 police officers in our region. This is part of a government programme to recruit 20,000 more police officers. I welcome any efforts to make communities safer. However, digging beneath the...

Tim Holtam’s number popped up on my mobile the other day. He runs Brighton Table Tennis Club and, as I answered, I was thinking I’d be having to get my trainers on and pop down for another rally with table tennis champion Wen Wei Xu. But Tim was calling to invite me to join him for lunch in the...

At the Conservative Party conference this week we have reaffirmed our commitment to the UK’s net zero emissions goal. This target has to be a key principle for the Treasury and for the Business Department as the government seeks to engineer a post-Brexit “decade of renewal”. We need to ensure...

With under a month to go before we leave the EU, the council and its Greater Brighton partners have already begun the process of examining what support our business community needs. With 140,000 jobs and 16,000 businesses in the city, the majority of these being small to medium enterprises and...