1 week Ago
There are few things as quintessentially Brighton and Hove than our annual Pride celebrations. The parade, the concerts, the fun and laughter and yes, the parties. Now I am no stranger to wild parties given that I was present in the 1988 summer of love and the incredible rave scene that it spawned.
Such great memories of air-craft hangers and abandoned factories etc full-up with gleeful ravers getting on one! But it was a Tory Government that went to great lengths to end that frivolity with their Criminal Justice Bill that saw the end of most of those hedonistic events, and now it seems we have a Labour administration acting like the fun-police with their drastic changes to the St James’ St Pride Party event by moving it away and onto Marine Parade. I will be the first to admit that the St J’s St event can be wild and raucous and can cause issues for residents but the wholesale relocation away from the businesses that rely on this event without any meaningful consultation is a mistake that I hope Labour will rethink. The cost-of-living crisis has hit the hospitality trade on so many levels, from a drop in custom to the spiralling prices of utilities so this decision from the administration cannot have come at a worse time for traders on St James’s St.
From a safety perspective I think that Labour have made a huge error with this decision as they plan to allow vehicular traffic including buses to access the street over the weekend, this is a recipe for disaster as no doubt there will be a large number of revellers still using the area. My colleagues have written to Cllr Miller who is responsible for the decision and have asked about the level of consultation and what risk assessments have been taken. Licensing colleagues have also written to the Committee Chair to ask what input licensed premises have had in this affair.
Cllr Miller didn’t know if a road safety audit had been carried out on this proposal but said she would get back to us. After the news broke, some of my colleagues went door-to-door visiting businesses on St James St and what is clear is that they felt they had not been included in the decision – despite the council saying they had consulted on the changes. There have been several complaints regarding various consultations from the council since Labour took control, and on a number of issues.
From school admission numbers to the switch to the cabinet system – it’s been a recurring theme for our “Listening Council” – my inbox tells me people feel as though decisions are being made without meaningful input. For many of the LGBTQ+ venues it will be a bitter pill to swallow after Labour’s manifesto pledge “to protect LGBT venues in Brighton and Hove if it wins a majority in the local elections in May 2023”. Since then, we have seen multiple LGBTQ+ venues close in the city – including Arcobaleno in Kemptown.
Our city has always been a shining light for inclusivity and seen as a haven for LGBTQ+ people. But I know many LGBTQ+ people, and especially our trans and non-binary residents are feeling scared about the political direction in this country and across the world. And with good reason – since the new government took office, we have seen a worrying raft of anti-trans policies and sentiment from ministers, something many had hoped would change back in July 2024.
That includes the cruel, and outright dangerous puberty blockers ban, and although the Government has not formally scrapped its manifesto pledge to reform the gender recognition process, the fact that legislation to implement it did not appear in the king’s speech reflects that it is not a priority for ministers. Pride is such an important weekend for business in the city, and for those in Kemptown especially, one that genuinely keeps some of them trading throughout the rest of the year. Rents are soaring, business rates need urgent reform – energy prices are rising despite another manifesto pledge to bring them down.
It’s no wonder so many shop fronts in our city are sitting empty. In recent months we’ve lost iconic businesses like Dockerills in Church Street, GAK in the North Laine is worryingly shuttered up at the time of writing, and just this week JB’s American Diner, that unique family business on the seafront, also announced its closure after 17 years. And it’s not just businesses, charities, who do so much work in the city are having to deal with the increase in national insurance contributions, adding thousands to their annual bills.
If we are to keep our city’s special identity, be that our independent shops, or indeed LGBTQ+ venues, then we need to do much more to help them. – and importantly, include them in decisions which affect them. Steve Davis is Green Group Convenor and Leader of The Opposition.
