Students have revealed their concerns and priorities as they go to the polls tomorrow.
Thousands of people studying at the city’s two universities will have the chance to cast their vote to shape Brighton and Hove for the next four years.
Some students at the University of Sussex want to see the council address issues around renting as well as the city’s bins and roads.
Bradley James, a third-year politics student, said he is concerned about the cost of housing in the city, particularly in the private rental sector.
He said: “Rents in the city are pretty astronomical for a lot of people and because I am moving out of university accommodation soon into the city it will affect me a great deal.
“I’ll be sharing so that will lighten the load a little bit but it’s almost like London prices.”
LOCAL ELECTIONS 2023:
- List of candidates standing in Brighton and Hove
- Full list of polling stations
- Voters across Sussex to elect more than 400 councillors in local elections
Lacquan Barlow, president of the university’s politics society and a second-year politics student, said the city’s bins are “not fit for purpose”.
He said: “I live near the seafront so we get a lot of stormy weather. When it comes, bins are thrown all over the place and we have rubbish all over the streets.”
Mr Barlow said he would like to see more done by the council to improve the city’s roads.
He said: “People are paying their money in taxes and where does the money go? We don’t see it being put to good use and we have all these issues so that can be quite frustrating.”
Dr Sam Power, senior lecturer in politics at Sussex University, said students are facing a difficult situation in the city and urged whoever takes power to address the problems they face.
He said: “The cost-of-living crisis is hitting them particularly hard and central Brighton is becoming increasingly unaffordable.
“There is a genuine risk of the hollowing of the city centre if these problems are not addressed by the next administration.
“If they don’t, it may be that Brighton is increasingly unrecognisable by the time of the next set of local elections in another four years.”
Voters go to the polls tomorrow to elect 54 councillors across the city for the next four years.
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