Brighton and Hove marks 25 years since 'unification'

Brighton merged with Hove on April 1, 1997 - exactly 25 years ago today, in a move that proved controversial at the time, especially among some residents in Hove. The newly-united town went on to gain city status four years later in January 2001.

Abraham Ghebre-Ghiorghis, Brighton and Hove’s executive director for governance, people and resources, was instrumental in the preparations for the merger - including helping draft a new constitution for the new authority.

He said that it would be hard to explain to young people who’ve grown up in the city why Brighton and Hove were ever two separate boroughs.

City 'now one of happiest places to live in'

Mr Ghebre-Ghiorghis said that the last 25 years have seen huge improvements for the city, in particular for education, growth in the city’s arts sector, and making the city a popular tourist hotspot and hub for technology and other business start-ups.

He said: “The seafront between the piers was a dark and unwelcoming place back in the mid-1990s, but it’s now a key part of our night-time economy and a huge factor in making Brighton and Hove a gloriously popular and successful tourist destination of international renown.

“All our secondary schools and nearly all our primary and special schools are now rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, and they’re working in ever-closer partnership with each other to achieve further improvements.

A picture of Brighton's seafront in 1997 - the year of its merger with Hove: credit - Geograph/Ben Brooksbank

“We should all also celebrate the growth of our city’s arts and cultural sector. Over the last 25 years, this has become an important engine of our economy.

“We’ve often been cited as being one of the happiest places to live in and the best places to start a business. Our range of independent and often eclectic shops are the envy of our rivals, and we now have a dynamic international reputation as a digital hub and a hothouse for new business start-ups.”

Mr Ghebre-Ghiorghis also said that the city has overcome the pressures and challenges caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and that the city council was a “key factor in helping Brighton and Hove Albion survive the dark days of the late 1990s and early 2000s.”

“Their years at the council’s Withdean Stadium helped get them through until Tony Bloom’s extraordinary generosity enabled the building of the Amex Community Stadium”, he said.

Brighton and Hove has 'much to look forward to'

Looking forward to the future, Mr Ghebre-Ghiorghis said the city has a lot to look forward to in the coming months and years.

He said: “The redevelopment work we’re doing at Black Rock is making that stretch of coastline more ecologically friendly as well as more attractive, and we’ve got the Women’s Euro 2022 football tournament matches at the Amex to look forward to in the summer - a massive event that will put us on the global stage.

“I’m confident that, united as one Brighton and Hove, we can continue to go from strength to strength - and that we’re in a stronger position to respond to the many varied challenges our region faces.”

'We can be optimistic about the next 25 years'

Brighton and Hove’s three main political groups have also looked back on the anniversary, with a spokesman for the Labour group saying that, despite challenging times in recent years, “Brighton and Hove stands more united today than we did 25 years ago.”

He said: “As a combined authority, Brighton and Hove delivers high-class services, such as in children’s social care and our consistently good family of community-run schools that have largely avoided academisation.

“With an authority that works together effectively with organisations in the public and private sector across the city, we can be optimistic about the next 25 years.”

Brighton's seafront has seen some changes over the last 25 years, with the destruction of the West Pier and the construction of the i360

A spokeswoman for the city’s Green group said that the last quarter of a century has seen “the creative, inclusive and diverse communities put Brighton and Hove on the map with events like the Fringe and Pride.”

She said: “These last few years have been especially difficult for many of our residents but we are proud to see them standing strong, in support of one another and in reaching out in welcoming refugees from across the world. We are looking forward to the next 25 years together.”

Councillor Dee Simson, deputy leader of the Conservative group, said that the city has seen several changes since the merger, from the restoration of the Bandstand, but also the “chaos caused by the temporary cycle lanes on Old Shoreham Road.”

She said: “However, the city has continued to be a major tourist destination across the country and the world, allowing the economy to remain stable, even during Covid, helped by its diverse, welcoming nature and the variety of things on offer - including our heritage sites and festivals.”