THE NEXT 12 MONTHS (TO MARCH 2025):

The below is the focus for the first twelve months of this plan, as we seek to drive the city’s economy forward, better articulate why Brighton & Hove is a place to invest and celebrate our city, whilst building greater wealth for our communities.

There is much positive activity already taking place that needs to be supported to continue delivering for our residents and businesses and to work towards the development of a fairer, greener and more productive economy.

As such, these actions are centred on activities that can have positive, tangible, and immediate impacts on the prosperity of our businesses and communities today, whilst not losing sight of the ambitions set out in the accompanying Plan for growth.

This is our immediate work programme and focus:

Action	Timescale	Owner	Delivery Partner(s)	Target Outcome(s)	Resourcing / Funding	Mission(s) Alignment
Evolve a new Business Growth Board from existing business partnerships	By December 2024	BHCC Economic Development	Brighton & Hove Economic Partnership; Brighton Chamber of Commerce; Federation of Small Businesses	A fully representative business voice embedded in local strategic economic planning in line with post-LEP guidance	Existing BHCC funding, supplemented by LEP legacy funding as required	Cross-cutting across all missions
Design and undertake a survey of city businesses which includes a focus on minoritised business owners	January 2025	BIPC Sussex	BHCC Economic Development; BHCC Equalities; Key business networks	A clearer understanding of the different challenges faced by businesses and business owners in the city	Existing BHCC funding	Cross-cutting across all missions
Develop the ‘Digital City’ concept and programme	March 2025	Brighton Tech Cluster	BHCC Economic Development; Brighton Chamber of Commerce; Silicon Brighton; Brighton AI; Barclays Eagle Labs; Sussex Innovation; BHCC Employment & Skills; Brighton MET; Creative Process; Digital Brighton & Hove	Creation of an overarching programme of digital skills, jobs and growth led by businesses	External funding to be sought for specific elements as programme is developed	Capitalise on our digital comparative advantage
Embed the new Brighton & Hove Growth Hub within the existing BIPC (and in line with the BIPC’s growth strategy)	September 2024	BHCC Economic Development	BIPC Sussex	New support programmes and Growth Accelerator developed to help businesses to scale and grow	LEP Growth Hub funding (subject to agreements)	Build new knowledge partnerships to benefit all of our communities and Capitalise on our digital comparative advantage
Ensuring the City Management Board evolves and continues to be fully representative of the city’s growing and evolving economy	March 2025	BHCC Policy & Communications	BHCC Economic Development; BHCC Employment & Skills; BHCC Net Zero	Establishing clear linkages between the City Management Board and the new Business Growth Board to deliver on our priorities	Existing BHCC funding	Build community involvement as a response to poverty and economic inequality
Maintain and develop the Brighton & Hove Living Wage campaign to support local residents to be paid a living wage	Ongoing	Brighton Chamber of Commerce	BHCC Economic Development	At least 25 businesses signed up to Living Wage campaign each quarter	Existing BHCC funding	Build community involvement as a response to poverty and economic inequality
Build on existing food and circular economy activity to seek to decrease food poverty and provide opportunities for local people to engage with the city’s climate response	March 2025	BHCC Circular Economy Oversight Board and BHCC Food Insecurity Group	BHCC Economic Development; BHCC Net Zero; Brighton & Hove Food Partnership; BHCC Anti-Poverty Steering Group; Third Sector Commission	Increased collaboration, business activity in neighbourhoods and wealth retained in local neighbourhoods	Existing funding secured through CVS and cost-of-living related work	Build community involvement as a response to poverty and economic inequality
Embed the Circular Economy Action Plan and community wealth-building principles across the city and within emerging high impact decarbonisation projects	December 2024	BHCC Economic Development	BHCC Regeneration; BHCC Net Zero	Establish Brighton & Hove as a leader in embedding principles of the circular economy and community wealth within major regeneration initiatives	TBC – project dependent	Decarbonise and create a more regenerative economy
Support and advocate for the Greater Brighton Net Zero Energy Mission	March 2025	Greater Brighton Economic Board	BHCC Net Zero; BHCC Economic Development	Greater Brighton to be self-reliant on renewable energy generated within the region by 2045	Initial scoping funding from GBEB	Decarbonise and create a more regenerative economy and Thrive within a city region with a clear economic identity
Develop and publish a new City Employment & Skills Plan (CESP)	January 2025	BHCC Employment & Skills	City Employment & Skills Steering Group	A plan that responds to local employment and skills priorities	Existing BHCC funding	Build a stronger and more inclusive labour market
Create a network of City Business Ambassadors linked to the Business Growth Board	March 2025	New Business Growth Board	BHCC Economic Development	A network of passionate advocates for our city and its economy	Funding requirements to be agreed as network develops	Celebrate our city and welcome investment
Develop a new inward investment programme	March 2025	BHCC Economic Development	New Business Growth Board	Outline a programme of targeted activity to attract investment, including marketing and comms	Funding to be allocated from LEP transition / legacy funding as available	Celebrate our city and welcome investment
Development of a business prospectus to promote the city to potential investors and business occupiers	March 2025	BHCC Economic Development	New Business Growth Board	New prospectus created as a marketing tool to support delivery of the inward investment programme	Existing BHCC funding	Celebrate our city and welcome investment
Explore the potential to expand our Business Improvement District (to include sectoral focus – such as Accommodation and Creative Industries)	Feasibility completed by March 2025	Brilliant Brighton BID	BHCC Economic Development; BHCC Revenues & Benefits; Visit Brighton	A robust study that outlines the optimum option for an expanded BID / ABID offering in the city	Existing BHCC funding, combined with BID reserves	Celebrate our city and welcome investment; and A world-leading creative destination worthy of the UK’s best small city
Establish a new Creative Destination National Stakeholder Board	March 2025	BHCC Culture, Tourism and Sport	UK Sport, Sport England, Arts Council England, BFI, Music Venues Trust, DCMS, LGA, VisitBritain, Creative Industries Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England	Development of a robust stakeholder advisory group to oversee development of a Creative Destination Plan and inform its distinctiveness, trends and ambitions	Existing BHCC funding	A world-leading creative destination worthy of the UK’s best small city
Development of a 10-year Creative Destination Plan that celebrates and promotes the city as a creative destination	Plan developed by March 2025 – implementation commencing in 2025/26	BHCC Culture, Tourism and Sport	UK Sport, Sport England, Arts Council England, BFI, Music Venues Trust, DCMS, LGA, VisitBritain, Creative Industries Council, Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic England	A Plan that evolves perceptions, innovating and protecting core visitor, seafront, leisure, sport, green spaces, heritage and creative & cultural assets	Existing BHCC funding	A world-leading creative destination worthy of the UK’s best small city
Contribute to the development of the Sussex Strategy for Growth as a lead partner in the Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP)	October 2024	BHCC Culture, Tourism and Sport	VisitBrighton LVEP (comprising BHCC, ESCC, WSCC, regional Destination Management Organisations, private and public visitor economy stakeholders)	A strategy that sets ambitious targets for growth for first time and returning domestic and international visitors	Development of the strategy funded by the LVEP	A world-leading creative destination worthy of the UK’s best small city
Explore the development of new protocols (including Civic Universities Agreements)	March 2025	BHCC Economic Development	University of Sussex; University of Brighton; New Business Growth Board; Brighton Chamber of Commerce; Federation of Small Businesses	Develop areas of immediate agreement, alongside protocols that link council, universities and businesses, and that enables knowledge exchange linked to specific sectors and economic growth / diversification	Existing BHCC funding (officer time). Specific funding asks to be considered as appropriate as the protocols are developed	Build new knowledge partnerships to benefit all of our communities
Scope new model of devolution that demonstrates a shared agenda and a single economic narrative	March 2025	BHCC Economic Development; BHCC Policy & Communications	Greater Brighton Economic Board	The completion of exploratory work to inform Government discussions over future devolution	Existing GBEB funding	Thrive within a city region with a clear economic identity
Seek to develop areas of shared identity and process across the city region in line with the inward investment programme	March 2025	BHCC Economic Development	Greater Brighton Economic Board	A cohesive external offer to attract investment into the city region	Existing BHCC and GBEB funding	Celebrate our city and welcome investment and Thrive within a city region with a clear economic identity

FUTURE ACTIVITY (YEARS 2 AND 3)

The remaining ‘Areas of Activity’ set out in the Economic Plan are ambitions to support the continued growth of the city’s economy, as well as aiding the transition to a new economy that helps to address existing structural issues within Brighton & Hove. These broad areas will be further refined through annual reviews of the action plan, agreed and assigned to key delivery partners, and undertaken as resources allow over the lifetime of this plan.