The Economic Board is meeting for the first time on May 20 2014. It brings political and business leaders together from across the city region and is the next step in a long term commitment to investment in the Greater Brighton City Region.
The new Economic Board will oversee a 6 year programme of investment in jobs, housing, business and skills support. This includes proposals to support the regeneration of Newhaven and Shoreham Harbour, as well as establishing a network of growth centres at Preston Barracks, New England House in Brighton and in Burgess Hill
The Greater Brighton Economic Board will focus on four key themes;
- Developing a city region that is attractive to businesses; and provides the amenities and infrastructure businesses need to thrive - unlocking developments to create space for businesses to grow
- Achieve higher wages and skills, working with our universities and colleges to creating high value jobs and to develop skills system that is accessible and meets the needs of new sectors in our changing economy.
- Create better housing and employment space – enabling the development of housing and employment development sites through investment in flood defenses and infrastructure.
- Providing a city region programme of business support, including grants for businesses who are struggling to access finance, starting with the £1.8m programme received through City Deal
Background
The new city region encompasses
- Brighton & Hove
- Lewes
- Mid Sussex
- Adur and Worthing
Each borough will retain its administrative independence.
The city region represents over 680,000 residents and plays a significant role in the economy of the south east and the United Kingdom as a whole.
The City Deal, which was agreed with government in March 2014, is a bespoke package of measures to drive economic growth designed to exploit the area’s economic assets and address its challenges.
The formation of the Greater Brighton Economic Board demonstrates that the city region leaders, business partners and universities are working together and demonstrating to Government and business a willingness to unlock barriers to the economic prosperity of the area
The partners will work together to influence and shape future Government policy which will boost the local economy and champion local regeneration schemes, proving that local solutions are more effective than national interventions.
Find out more
Find out about Greater Brighton Economic Board's committee meetings.