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The Sussex And The City Podcast Episode 63 Sussex Could Become A Global Nature Recovery Hotspot Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Rob Alcroft – co-founder of Wayforward 🔍 Episode summary This is a conversation we recorded more than a year ago. Oddly, it feels more relevant now than it did then. Back in July 2025, Sussex devolution was still largely something we talked about in the future tense. One of the questions Rob Alcroft and I wrestled with was whether a new strategic authority – and eventually a mayor – would see nature as something sitting off to the side of the growth agenda, or whether it might become part of our definition of prosperity itself. Quite a lot has happened since. Over the summer, climate action conveners Cat Fisher, Victoria Ramsden, Cathy Shutt and Paul Steedman brought together people from businesses, community organisations, academia and environmental networks from across Sussex to challenge the emerging Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority's definition of prosperity. Their argument was that prosperity shouldn't mean economic growth alone. It should mean people, the economy and nature thriving together. An open letter making that case attracted 213 signatures from a wide range of organisations and individuals. And the language now being used in briefings on the emerging strategy describes prosperity as a Sussex where people, place, the economy and nature are resilient and thrive together, now and in the future. Climate resilience has also been described as one of the strategy's priorities. We're not suggesting one letter magically rewrote regional policy. It didn't. But it is a useful example of why these conversations matter while new institutions are still taking shape – and what can happen when people make a clear and practical case for doing something differently. Which brings us back to Rob. Rob is co-founder of Wayforward, a social-purpose strategic consultancy specialising in stakeholder engagement. The organisation has been deeply involved in nature recovery across Sussex, including helping shape the original vision for Sussex Bay and leading engagement around the Local Nature Recovery Strategies for East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove. That work has given Rob a broad view of what's already happening. And there is a lot happening. Through its research, Wayforward has spoken to more than 200 people across well over 100 organisations and identified more than 50 pioneering nature recovery projects in Sussex. The finding isn't a lack of enthusiasm or expertise. It's that people overwhelmingly want to collaborate more, but often lack the time, coordination and infrastructure to do it. The opportunity for devolution, then, might not be for a new mayor to invent another layer of environmental activity. It might simply be to give a bigger voice, greater coordination and more confidence to what is already here. Sussex is incredibly green. We have the South Downs. The sea. Rivers, chalk landscapes, woodland, farmland and important habitats. For most of us, some kind of extraordinary landscape is never very far away. And that makes it easy to assume nature is doing rather better than it actually is. Rob points to research around the River Adur where around two-thirds of surveyed river users believed it to be in good or very good condition, despite evidence of its environmental problems. The landscapes around us can look beautiful while biodiversity declines, waterways deteriorate and water resources come under increasing pressure. Sussex is going to build houses. It will need infrastructure. Political leaders will want investment, jobs, transport projects and visible evidence of economic progress. Rob's argument isn't that nature recovery should become a reason to pretend none of that can happen; it's that this is the wrong binary. Development can have environmental costs while also creating opportunities for nature recovery. Nature recovery itself can support jobs, tourism, science, research, health and wellbeing. Walking, cycling, food, wine, culture and the visitor economy can all connect to the landscapes and seascapes Sussex is trying to recover. Projects including Sussex Bay, Weald to Waves, the work of Sussex Wildlife Trust and other nature recovery programmes are already demonstrating pieces of that story. Put those things together, give them a much bigger political voice and Rob believes Sussex could become something genuinely distinctive as a global hotspot for nature recovery, research and sustainable tourism. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with TEDx Worthing, returning to Worthing Pavilion Theatre on 5 October. This year's theme is We Begin Here, exploring how local change starts and what each of us can do to be part of it, with talks, performances and interactive installations bringing more than 700 people together. Sussex and the City listeners can save 20% on tickets using the code SUSSEXCITY20. Visit www.tedxworthing.com 🎯 In this episode Why this conversation, recorded in July 2025, feels even more relevant now How the definition of prosperity emerging in Sussex has changed What Wayforward does and how Rob became involved in nature recovery The origins of Sussex Bay What Sussex's Local Nature Recovery Strategies are trying to achieve What Rob learned from talking to more than 200 people across over 100 organisations The extraordinary number of nature recovery projects already operating in Sussex Why enthusiasm for collaboration isn't the same as having capacity to collaborate The need for "leading from the middle" rather than another umbrella organisation Whether nature needs to be explicitly written into a future mayor's targets What we actually mean when we talk about "nature recovery" Why access to nature matters for health, creativity and community wellbeing Whether Sussex takes its natural environment for granted The gap between how healthy nature looks and what the evidence tells us Why growth versus nature is the wrong argument How development and infrastructure could coexist with nature recovery The economic potential of ecotourism Sussex's opportunities around walking, cycling, diving and watersports How nature recovery can connect with arts, culture, food, wine and health Why a future mayor's voice could make a significant difference Whether Sussex could become internationally recognised for nature recovery   👤 About Rob Alcroft Rob Alcroft is co-founder of Wayforward, a social-purpose strategic consultancy working with organisations seeking to create social and environmental impact. Rob's background is in the charity sector and fundraising. Way Forward combines that experience with expertise in communications and marketing, with a particular focus on stakeholder and public engagement – understanding how organisations can build meaningful involvement around their work. Wayforward's nature recovery work in Sussex has included helping develop the original vision for Sussex Bay and leading engagement for the Local Nature Recovery Strategies across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove. The organisation has also worked with Sussex Wildlife Trust, Weald to Waves and the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust, giving Rob and the team extensive experience of the people, organisations and projects involved in nature recovery across Sussex. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Rob Alcroft Sound design, editing and original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources, events and more about devolution and change across Sussex 👉 sussexintelligence.com — independent research and evidence-led insight into growth, infrastructure, governance and belonging across Sussex

Introducing Hoda Kotb: “Joy’s in us, it’s about unearthing it.” from Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman. Follow the show: Math & Magic: Stories from the Frontiers of Marketing with Bob Pittman Millions of Americans feel like Hoda Kotb is a good friend. She’s an acclaimed journalist and TV pioneer, best known for her years at NBC and the TODAY Show. More recently, she’s turned her focus to joy, stepping into entrepreneurship with her company Joy 101 and launching a new podcast with iHeartPodcasts centered around joy. Born in Oklahoma to Egyptian immigrant parents and raised in West Virginia, Hoda built her career step by step, starting at Greenville News Center 15 in Mississippi and working her way to the top. She has plenty to share about perseverance, hard work, and the lessons she’s learned along the way. Plus, she talks about what’s surprised her about podcasting, how she thinks about joy, and what she imagines for the future of news media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to [email protected].

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #62 Why Sussex And Hampshire May Need Each Other Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Hannah Lazell – political and public affairs consultant and former Local Government Association adviser 🔍 Episode summary For someone growing up in Havant in Hampshire, as Hannah Lazell did, Portsmouth (Hampshire) and Chichester (West Sussex) were simply two nearby places you went to. Jobs cross the border. Businesses cross it. The defence and aerospace economy around Portsmouth spills into West Sussex. The South Downs crosses it. And anyone who has attempted the A27 through Chichester and Arundel knows that transport problems are indifferent to local government boundaries. Yet Sussex and Hampshire have generally been expected to think about their economic futures separately. Devolution might start to change that. Hannah is a political and public affairs consultant who has worked in Parliament, advised the Labour team in the House of Lords and spent seven years at the Local Government Association. She now lives in Portsmouth, which makes her well placed to compare two neighbouring areas going through similar upheavals at similar times. And this is actually our second attempt at this conversation. We first interviewed Hannah last year. Politics moved so quickly that the episode became obsolete before we could use it. We tried again in July. Inevitably, things changed again. Since this recording, the Government has put local government reorganisation under review, including pausing the process in West Sussex and Hampshire. Devolution itself, however, continues. Sussex and Brighton has its strategic authority; Hampshire and the Solent now has one too. Both are currently heading towards mayoral elections in 2028. That leaves Hannah broadly optimistic about devolution, but with an important warning: most people still don't really know what any of this means. Even among politically engaged people, she encounters uncertainty about what a strategic authority is and what a mayor will actually do. We are creating new democratic identities while many people are still working out what the existing layers of local government are responsible for. But perhaps the more interesting opportunity begins once those mayors exist. Hannah points north, where mayoral authorities that might reasonably be expected to compete are increasingly collaborating. Northern mayors have come together around investment, infrastructure and a bigger story about the North of England. Greater Manchester and Liverpool City Region cooperate where their interests align while retaining their own identities and priorities. Why couldn't Sussex and Hampshire do something similar? There is no shortage of shared problems. The rail journey between Portsmouth and Brighton is painfully slow for the distance involved. The A27 contains notorious bottlenecks. Connections from the South Coast to Heathrow are awkward. Both regions want investment, better infrastructure, productive businesses and stronger economies. And both suffer from being bundled into the rather misleading national shorthand of London and the South East. Being relatively close to London doesn't mean the South Coast has seamless infrastructure, uniformly high productivity or an economy that needs no investment. Hannah argues that Sussex and Hampshire could start articulating a different story that identifies the things they can achieve together and gives the South Coast a more coherent voice with government and investors. That doesn't mean inventing a new super-region or pretending Portsmouth, Brighton, Southampton, Chichester, Basingstoke and the Isle of Wight are all the same place. In fact, much of the conversation is about how slippery geographical identity really is. Portsmouth has a strong identity. So does Southampton. Sussex has East and West. Hampshire's northern M3 corridor can feel remarkably distant from its southern coastal cities. And people often identify much more strongly with a town, city or neighbourhood than with an administrative county. Perhaps that's why collaboration can work. The new structures don't need to erase those identities. They might instead give neighbouring places permission to ignore boundaries when the problem they are trying to solve ignores them too. So this isn't an episode about Hampshire. And it isn't really about maps. It's about whether devolution could help create a different political and economic geography of the South Coast – one based less on inherited administrative boundaries and more on the places, connections and challenges that actually exist. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with TEDx Worthing Tedx Worthing returns to Worthing Pavilion Theatre on 5 October 2026 This year's theme is We Begin Here, exploring how local change starts and what each of us can do to be part of it, with talks, performances and interactive installations bringing more than 700 people together. Sussex and the City listeners can save 20% on tickets using the code SUSSEXCITY20. Book now at www.tedxworthing.com 🎯 In this episode Why we had to interview Hannah twice What years of working around local government have taught her about local politics Why local elections increasingly reflect national political frustration The growing importance of hyper-local campaigns and identities What years of financial pressure have done to councils How aware people in Hampshire actually are of devolution Why explaining what a new mayor does may be harder than politicians expect The similarities between the Sussex and Hampshire devolution journeys Why devolution and local government reorganisation need to be understood separately The political upheaval happening across Hampshire Whether local government structures designed in the 1970s still make sense Portsmouth's relationship with Chichester and West Sussex Why county boundaries often make little sense in everyday life The very different identities within Hampshire itself Whether Sussex and Hampshire could form a stronger strategic alliance What the South Coast could learn from collaboration between northern mayors The painfully slow Portsmouth-to-Brighton connection Why the A27 is an obvious shared priority Connections to Heathrow and other infrastructure challenges How neighbouring mayors could cooperate while still competing for investment Whether the South Coast needs a stronger collective economic story Why "London and the South East" conceals as much as it explains 💬 What Hannah says "Local politics has always been a vessel for protest at the national government." "They've got very low awareness that it's happening and low awareness of what it could mean." "To me and my family, Portsmouth and Chichester were two places that we went to. It was irrelevant which county they were in." "We do need our structures of government as a whole to reflect how we live and work now rather than 1972." "What we're missing down here, we don't have that coherent voice and that working together." "The narrative is like London and the South East. If you live here, you know that it's far more complex than that." "There are a lot of opportunities, and it just requires people to want to work together." 👤 About Hannah Lazell Hannah Lazell is a political and public affairs consultant with extensive experience across national and local government. Her involvement in politics began while studying in Birmingham, where she volunteered on Gisela Stuart's 2010 General Election campaign in Birmingham Edgbaston. She subsequently worked in Parliament for MPs including Shabana Mahmood and Harriet Harman, and as an adviser to Labour's House of Lords team. Hannah later spent seven years at the Local Government Association, working closely with councils and political leaders across the country. She now works independently across strategy, policy and public affairs, with local government and devolution continuing to form an important part of her work. Originally from Havant and now based in Portsmouth, Hannah also brings a particularly useful perspective to Sussex and the City: that of someone watching almost exactly the same devolution process unfold immediately across the county boundary. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Hannah Lazell Sound design, editing and original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources, events and more about devolution and change across Sussex 👉 sussexintelligence.com — independent research and evidence-led insight into growth, infrastructure, governance and belonging across Sussex

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #61 What Political Shake-ups Mean For Sussex Host: Richard Freeman Guest: John Milne MP – Liberal Democrat MP for Horsham 🔍 Episode summary This conversation was recorded when the argument about local government reorganisation in Sussex was mostly about what shape the new councils would take. Since then, the argument has changed. The Government has paused the process and put proposals back under review, including plans affecting East Sussex, Brighton & Hove and West Sussex. That makes this conversation with John Milne, Liberal Democrat MP for Horsham, unexpectedly timely – because he was already asking some pretty fundamental questions about whether local government reorganisation was a good idea in the first place. John makes an important distinction between two changes that are often bundled together. Devolution? He's in favour. Local government reorganisation? He wishes it wasn't happening. He can see a strong case for Sussex thinking at a bigger level about transport, economic development and environmental challenges. A directly elected mayor gives the region a recognisable figurehead and potentially greater influence with central government. A river doesn't stop at a council boundary; neither does a transport network or an economy. But John worries that creating much larger councils could take everyday democracy in precisely the opposite direction. Fewer councillors representing many more people means, in his view, less local accountability. And he worries about what happens to the things that matter enormously to individual places – theatres, parks, museums and community facilities – when they become relatively small items on the balance sheet of a much larger organisation. His example is Horsham's Capitol Theatre. John believes its survival owes something to decisions about it being made close to a town that understands its value. Had it belonged to a much larger authority facing major financial pressures, he wonders whether it would still be there. Then there is housing. Horsham is prosperous, well connected and largely rural. It sits within London's economic orbit, close to Gatwick and within reach of Brighton, Guildford and Croydon. Unlike neighbouring areas constrained by the South Downs or a shortage of available land, it is also under enormous pressure to accommodate new development. John is unequivocal that Sussex needs more homes, particularly genuinely affordable ones. But he is equally frustrated by a system that can approve thousands of houses without guaranteeing the schools, healthcare and transport infrastructure needed alongside them – while homes officially described as "affordable" remain far beyond the means of many local people. The question isn't simply whether Horsham should grow. It's what kind of growth creates a better place. John sees real potential in Sussex-wide transport. Rural bus services are particularly important to him: not simply as a public service but as part of the economy. If people in villages cannot get to work and businesses cannot reach potential employees, poor transport becomes a brake on productivity as well as a threat to rural life. There is, however, a bigger challenge in importing mayoral models from elsewhere. Greater Manchester has a recognisable centre. Sussex doesn't. There is no single commercial, cultural or transport hub around which everything else revolves. Horsham itself often looks north towards Gatwick, Croydon and London as much as it looks south towards the Sussex coast. So how does one mayor represent a place that is simultaneously urban, coastal, rural, prosperous, deprived, Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green – and everything in between? If devolution succeeds, John wants good local jobs for local people. He doesn't want Horsham to become simply a comfortable dormitory town whose residents commute somewhere else to create prosperity. With the future of local government reorganisation once again uncertain, that question has become rather less theoretical than when we recorded it. -- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Sussex Intelligence Unit, the independent research platform from the team behind Sussex and the City. It brings together new data, research and evidence-led analysis on growth, infrastructure, governance and belonging across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove – helping businesses, voluntary sector organisations and policymakers understand the decisions shaping Sussex. www.sussexintelligence.com --- 🎯 In this episode John Milne's unlikely journey from advertising creative director to Parliament How he overturned a large Conservative majority in Horsham in 2024 What being a new opposition MP actually involves Why planning and housing have been central to John's politics The unexpected businesses and economic strengths hiding in Horsham Why Horsham's economic pull often points north rather than towards the coast The extraordinary pressure on Horsham to accommodate new housing Why building more houses doesn't automatically create affordable homes The disconnect between housing development and infrastructure Why John wishes local government reorganisation wasn't happening His fear of "institutional paralysis" while councils wait to discover their future Why bigger councils could mean weaker local democracy What could happen to theatres, parks and other local assets Why Horsham is establishing a town council John's much more positive view of Sussex devolution Why a mayor could provide Sussex with a useful political figurehead The challenge of representing a county without a single obvious centre Why transport makes much more sense at Sussex scale The importance of rural buses to productivity and village life What Horsham can learn – and can't simply copy – from Greater Manchester John's ultimate test for devolution: good local jobs for local people   👤 About John Milne MP John Milne is the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Horsham, elected at the 2024 General Election. Before politics, John spent much of his professional career in advertising, working as a creative director in London and Dublin. He later became a councillor in West Sussex, serving on Horsham District Council, including as a cabinet member, and West Sussex County Council. He did not initially expect to become an MP. He stepped in as the Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate at relatively short notice and went on to overturn a substantial Conservative majority to win Horsham. Planning and housing have been significant interests throughout his local and national political career. Since entering Parliament, he has also become particularly concerned with special educational needs and has supported constituent-led national campaigns. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: John Milne MP Sound design, editing and original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources, events and more about devolution and change across Sussex 👉 sussexintelligence.com — independent research and evidence-led insight into growth, infrastructure, governance and belonging across Sussex

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #58 Can Chichester Become A Laboratory For The Future? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Dr Catja de Haas – architect, urbanist and co-founder of Chichester Laboratory 🔍 Episode summary Sussex is being encouraged to think bigger. One strategic authority. Sussex-wide approaches to growth, housing, transport and prosperity. Decisions that previously sat within individual councils will increasingly need to make sense across a region stretching from Chichester to Hastings. But where does that leave the small, local and experimental? Dr Catja de Haas thinks Chichester might provide part of the answer. An architect and urbanist who grew up near Amsterdam, studied in Delft and Barcelona, worked in Japan and later studied housing and urbanism in London, Catja has spent much of her career thinking about places facing change: particularly smaller coastal cities trying to grow without losing what makes them distinctive. She is now one of the people behind Chichester Laboratory, an experiment in bringing architects, planners, academics, universities, residents, campaigners and other local voices together around real problems facing the city. And the problems can be very specific. What should happen to old fibreglass boats? How could polluted waterways be tackled? What would make cycling genuinely viable? Could underused land within the city provide better housing? How do you build new homes without creating developments where everyone remains dependent on a car? Rather than starting with another grand strategy, Chichester Laboratory starts with the problem and tries to connect it with people who might be able to do something about it. Catja describes it almost as a dating platform for civic problem-solving: a local issue might find a university researcher, an architect, a community group or a professional with relevant expertise, with the Laboratory helping an idea move towards research, testing and eventually a real project. That also leads Catja to an interesting challenge to conventional thinking about community engagement. Listening to people matters, but communities cannot be expected to arrive with all the answers. Sometimes good engagement also means bringing expertise into the room, showing people what has worked elsewhere and helping them visualise possibilities they may never previously have encountered. As Catja puts it: "You don't know what you don't know." Her native Netherlands provides an obvious example. Amsterdam's cycling culture can appear inevitable from the outside, but it was created through political choices and changes that were themselves contested. Showing how another place made that transition can expand the range of things a community believes might be possible. And this is where a relatively small experiment in Chichester connects with the much bigger Sussex devolution story. A strategic authority needs to operate at scale. But Chichester has its own geography, economy, history and problems. Catja's argument is that strong local capacity to research, experiment and organise can sit alongside regional scale – generating ideas and evidence that can then feed upwards and, where something works, potentially be replicated elsewhere. Her ambition is for Chichester to become a small pioneering city; somewhere that tests better approaches to housing, water pollution, climate adaptation, transport and sustainable urban life, while retaining the character that makes it Chichester. Perhaps Sussex doesn't need to choose between thinking bigger and thinking smaller. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the NatWest Accelerator Hub at the University of Brighton. Designed particularly for ambitious founders and early-stage businesses, including those with four or fewer employees, the Hub provides free workshops, expert coaching and practical support around finance, sales, funding and leadership, alongside a dedicated app and business community. 🎯 In this episode Why Catja de Haas chose to make the Chichester area her home What Chichester can learn from cities in the Netherlands and elsewhere Why smaller cities can be useful places for experimentation What the Chichester Laboratory actually is Bringing academics, professionals and communities together around real problems The Laboratory's research festivals How universities could become more directly involved in solving local challenges Why old fibreglass boats have become an urban research question The potential for researchers-in-residence, hackathons and design charrettes Why Catja wants the Laboratory to remain small and lightweight Moving from research and conversation into real developments Housing as the issue that connects almost everything else Why apparently sustainable housing can still create unsustainable places Infill, density and alternatives to car-dependent development Water pollution and Chichester's environmental challenges What Amsterdam's cycling history can teach Sussex Why community engagement needs expertise as well as listening How local experimentation could influence Sussex-wide plans Catja's ambition for Chichester to become a model sustainable city Chichester as an urban laboratory Catja doesn't envisage the Chichester Laboratory becoming another large institution with its own bureaucracy. She describes something deliberately light, more like a platform that connects problems, people, research and potential solutions. The longer-term ambition includes a database of research about Chichester, relationships with UK and international universities, researchers-in-residence and focused charrettes or hackathons around particular urban problems. Success ultimately means ideas becoming projects rather than accumulating as reports. Housing connects almost everything For Catja, housing is perhaps Chichester's most important challenge because it intersects with so many others. A house can be highly insulated, fitted with solar panels and technically efficient while still being part of an unsustainable development if its location means every resident needs a car. She is interested instead in questions of density, infill, connectivity and how Chichester can provide good housing within a compact city – including homes for people such as hospital workers and teachers. Communities shouldn't have to invent every solution themselves Community engagement is vital, but Catja questions the assumption that lived experience means residents should also be expected to know every possible solution. People know their place and their experiences. Architects, researchers and specialists may know what has been tried elsewhere. Bringing those forms of knowledge together can be considerably more productive than repeatedly asking a community what it wants without expanding the possibilities available to it. "You don't know what you don't know" Cycling provides Katja's clearest example. The Netherlands is now so closely associated with cycling that it can seem culturally inevitable. But Katja remembers a process of change in which reducing the dominance of cars was itself controversial. For Chichester, international examples can therefore do more than provide technical answers. They can demonstrate that apparently unrealistic change has happened elsewhere – and help shift expectations about what might be possible locally. Devolution mustn't make everywhere the same Katja is cautious about predicting whether devolution will necessarily be good for Chichester. Much will depend on the quality of the eventual plans and the people making the decisions. Her concern is that the city's particular character and challenges should not disappear inside something too generic. The opportunity is for strong local networks to generate ideas and evidence that can feed into the wider Sussex system while retaining Chichester's distinctive identity. 🧪 What would a Chichester Laboratory actually do? The model Catja describes is somewhere between a research network, civic laboratory and matchmaking service. A resident or local organisation might identify a problem. A university could research it. Architects or planners might explore possible interventions. Campaigners and communities could contribute their experience. Researchers from other countries might show how similar problems have been tackled elsewhere. The Laboratory can then help connect those people. Its early 'research festivals' have deliberately mixed professional and community perspectives, with contributions ranging from architecture and urban planning to citizen research and environmental campaigns. Catja would eventually like to see a searchable body of research about Chichester, more formal relationships with universities, researchers spending time in the city and short, intensive hackathons or design charrettes focused on particular problems. But the crucial test comes afterwards. Can research turn into an intervention? Can an idea attract investment? Can professionals take it forward? Can something actually get built or changed? For Catja, the Laboratory succeeds when it helps move from talking about a place to doing something in it. 🏘️ What could Chichester experiment with? Several practical challenges emerge from the conversation. Better housing Explore infill, density and new forms of development that provide genuinely useful housing without automatically creating further car dependency. A cycling city Learn from places such as Amsterdam about the infrastructure and behavioural change needed to make cycling an ordinary means of getting around rather than a marginal alternative. Cleaner water Connect campaigners, researchers, policymakers and specialists around sewage and pollution rather than allowing the issue to become only a source of anger between different sides. Fibreglass and abandoned boats Explore the environmental impact of ageing fibreglass vessels and whether

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #59 Maybe We Should Stop Consulting Young People, And Give Them Some Power Instead Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Adam Muirhead – Director of Youth Work Services, Trust for Developing Communities 🔍 Episode summary Sussex devolution is a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity'. But for which generation? If the decisions being made now will shape housing, transport, skills, jobs and public services for decades, the people who will live with them longest need more than an occasional invitation to tell adults what they think. Perhaps we need to stop talking quite so much about consulting young people and start talking about giving them some power. Adam Muirhead has spent nearly 25 years working with young people. He has worked in youth clubs and on the streets, in hospitals and youth offending services, taught youth work as a lecturer at the University of Brighton and held leadership roles across the profession. He is a former Chair of the Institute of Youth Work. His definition of youth work strips all of that back to two things. Relationships. And power. Build meaningful relationships with young people; help them claim some power over their own lives; and, where possible, change the systems in which the odds are stacked against them. Those systems are not in especially good shape. Adam describes escalating mental health needs, exploitation and safeguarding concerns alongside a steady erosion of the universal services that once provided young people with somewhere to go, someone to trust and a route into help before a problem became a crisis. As he puts it, "the need goes up and the resource goes down." Devolution will not magically repair that. But Sussex is creating new institutions, moving responsibilities and money away from Whitehall and deciding how a new strategic authority should work. That means there is a brief opportunity to decide whose voices (and whose power) get built into the system from the beginning. Adam asks why a future Sussex mayor shouldn't have a permanently funded and genuinely powerful youth assembly, embedded within the governance of the strategic authority rather than sitting alongside it as a consultative body. Why not a commissioner for future generations? Why not young people represented directly within decision-making? And could Sussex even become the first mayoral area to introduce a children's precept, raising money specifically to invest in the generation that will inherit all of this? There are immediate questions. If you're 17 in Bognor Regis, 19 in Hastings or 22 in Crawley, can you afford to get to college or work? Are you being trained for the jobs Sussex actually needs? If you've grown up here, is there a realistic prospect of being able to afford to stay? Transport is a particularly tangible example. Greater Manchester already offers free bus travel to 16–18-year-olds. As Sussex gains greater influence over its transport system, Adam argues for an affordable county-wide youth travel concession; not just as a benefit for young people, but as an intervention in skills, employment and social mobility. And then there is housing. There is little point creating jobs for the next generation if the people trained to do them cannot afford to live anywhere near them. Young people Adam works with are not currently clamouring to discuss strategic authorities or mayoral governance. Why would they be? But they are interested in the questions devolution will ultimately have to answer, like Can I afford to live here? Can I get where I need to go? Is there a job for me? And do I have any influence over the place I'm going to inherit? If this really is a once-in-a-generation project, perhaps those questions should carry rather more power. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Sussex Intelligence Unit, a new independent research platform from the team behind Sussex and the City. It brings together data and evidence-led analysis on growth, infrastructure, governance and belonging across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove, helping businesses, voluntary sector organisations and policymakers understand the decisions that will shape Sussex for a generation. --- 🎯 In this episode Why Adam believes youth work is fundamentally about power and relationships How being young today differs from previous generations Why adults need humility about experiences they have never had Rising mental health, exploitation and safeguarding pressures The erosion of universal youth services Why consultation alone doesn't necessarily give young people influence The case for a permanent, properly funded Sussex youth assembly Whether Sussex should have a commissioner for future generations Adam's proposal for a dedicated children's precept Why having one young representative can itself become tokenistic Examples of youth participation already happening in Brighton & Hove How devolved skills funding could improve young people's prospects Why affordable transport is an economic and social mobility issue The case for a Sussex-wide youth travel concession Whether young people growing up in Sussex will ever be able to afford to stay How housing, employment, transport and skills are connected What a genuinely generational approach to devolution could look like 🧠 Key themes Consultation isn't the same thing as power There is plenty of goodwill towards listening to young people, and Adam points to some genuinely good participation work already happening. But listening is only one part of the equation. Young people can attend meetings, sit on advisory groups, respond to consultations and be invited to speak at scrutiny committees without having much influence over the eventual decision. Adam's challenge for devolution is therefore to go further and ask where will young people actually hold power within the new system? Young people need more than one seat at the table Putting a young person on an adult board can look like participation while reproducing the structures that already exclude many young people. Adam argues for a range of approaches. Different young people will participate in different ways, and conventional boards are particularly likely to attract those already confident enough to navigate adult institutions. Meaningful representation needs to reach young people who are disadvantaged, marginalised or simply unlikely to volunteer for a committee. The foundations underneath young people are weakening Adam describes a pyramid of support that once had a broad base of universal youth provision, capable of building relationships, identifying emerging problems and directing young people towards more specialist help. That base has substantially contracted. Meanwhile, youth workers are encountering increasingly complex mental health, exploitation and safeguarding issues, sometimes while young people wait years for specialist assessment or treatment. The result is what Adam describes as a "chart of doom", where demand increases while the resources available to respond decrease. Devolution creates a chance to design something differently New political structures do not automatically produce better participation. But because Sussex is creating new structures anyway, there is an opportunity to build youth power into them rather than trying to bolt it on afterwards. Adam suggests a permanent youth assembly, stronger youth representation within governance and potentially a commissioner specifically concerned with future generations. His most provocative proposal is a children's precept, using the strategic authority's ability to raise money for priorities to make an explicit, visible investment in children and young people. Transport can determine who gets an opportunity For a young person with limited income, the cost of getting somewhere can determine whether an opportunity is genuinely available. That means transport connects directly to education, skills, employment and social mobility. Adam argues that if a future Sussex mayor asks young people across the county what would make a practical difference to their lives, affordable transport is likely to appear very quickly. With Greater Manchester already providing free bus travel for 16–18-year-olds, he sees a strong case for an affordable Sussex-wide youth travel concession. Can you grow up in Sussex and afford to remain here? Young people could acquire the skills local employers need and find jobs in the Sussex economy, but still be forced elsewhere because housing is beyond their reach. Adam argues that increased housebuilding therefore needs to include genuinely affordable and social housing across Sussex, rather than concentrating it in communities already experiencing disadvantage. 🗳️ So what would giving young people power actually mean? Adam points to good foundations already operating in Brighton & Hove. The city's Youth Council uses the Make Your Mark campaign to identify priorities and campaign around them. Youth Wise creates opportunities for young people using youth services to question political representatives directly. Trust for Developing Communities has run peer research, trained young people as researchers and involved them in co-producing approaches to public services. The problem isn't that nobody knows how to involve young people. It's turning that practice into permanent democratic infrastructure. Adam draws on the Lundy model of participation, which considers whether children and young people have space to express their views, a voice through which to do so, an audience that will listen and – crucially – actual influence. A Sussex youth assembly that can be politely ignored therefore wouldn't be enough. Nor necessarily would a single youth representative sitting around an adult boardroom table. The opportunity is to build multiple routes through which different young people can participate, connect hyp

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #58 Small Boats Aren't Sussex's Real Immigration Story Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Laura Charge – Immigration Consultant and former Home Office immigration specialist 🔍 Episode summary For all the heat around immigration, the national debate has become remarkably narrow. Small boats, asylum hotels and border control dominate the conversation. But look at immigration from Sussex rather than Westminster and there is a different picture. International workers are staffing care services, hospitals, hotels and restaurants. Farms and horticultural businesses rely on overseas labour. Schools recruit internationally. Technology and gaming companies compete globally for specialist talent. Crawley is home to a significant Chagossian community, while Brighton & Hove has been shaped by successive waves of people choosing to make the city their home. Laura Charge has spent her career seeing this system from both sides. She joined the immigration service at 17, worked within the Home Office system and now runs an immigration consultancy from Horsham, helping businesses, schools and individuals navigate rules that can be bewilderingly complex. Her conversation with Richard Freeman starts with the fact that asylum is only one small part of immigration. Laura describes around 40 lawful routes into the UK, covering work, study, family, settlement and other circumstances. For Sussex employers trying to fill vacancies or recruit specialist expertise, those routes are not an abstract political issue. They can determine whether a business can find the people it needs. That presents an intriguing problem for devolution. A future Sussex mayor will have considerably more responsibility for skills, employment and economic growth, but virtually no control over immigration. What happens when Sussex knows it needs nurses, care workers, engineers, programmers or hospitality staff, but the policies governing who can come here are designed nationally? And if devolution encourages Sussex to think of itself more consciously as a region, who gets included in that story? Someone whose family has lived here for generations? A Chagossian family in Crawley? An international student who stays after graduating? Someone who moved down from London? Or, as Laura points out, someone who crossed the border from Kent? This conversation attempts to get beyond a debate dominated by crisis and look instead at immigration as it is actually experienced by a place: through businesses, jobs, families, skills, communities and the continual movement of people. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Sussex Intelligence Unit, the independent research platform from the team behind Sussex and the City, providing evidence-led insight into growth, infrastructure, governance and belonging across Sussex. 🎯 In this episode Why the national immigration debate tells only a small part of the Sussex story The difference between asylum and the UK's many other immigration routes Laura's experience working inside the Home Office immigration system How businesses navigate sponsorship and immigration rules Why smaller employers can find the system particularly difficult Sussex's reliance on international workers and specialist skills Recruitment pressures in health, care, hospitality and agriculture International talent within Sussex's technology and gaming industries The Chagossian community in Crawley Why immigration can be less visible in Sussex than in some other parts of Britain The relationship between immigration, economic growth and skills policy What a future Sussex mayor could – and could not – influence How devolution raises questions about identity and belonging Why Sussex cannot simply assume people will always want to come here 🧠 Key themes Immigration is an economic issue as well as a political one The Sussex economy needs people. Some skills can and should be developed locally, but employers also recruit nationally and internationally. Immigration policy therefore has direct consequences for businesses, public services and the region's capacity to grow. The immigration system is much bigger than small boats Laura describes around 40 lawful routes through which people can come to the UK. Work, study, family and settlement are all significant parts of the system, but are frequently overshadowed by the political and media focus on irregular Channel crossings. Devolution creates an unusual mismatch of powers A future Sussex mayor will have greater influence over skills, employment and economic strategy without controlling immigration policy. Sussex could therefore become better at understanding exactly which workers and skills it needs while remaining dependent on decisions made in Westminster about who can come to Britain. Smaller businesses face particular friction Large employers can afford specialist HR teams, lawyers and immigration support. Smaller organisations may have exactly the same need for international expertise but face a disproportionately complicated process when trying to recruit it. Belonging is more complicated than birthplace Creating a stronger political identity around Sussex inevitably raises questions about who belongs within it. The county's communities have always been shaped by movement – both international migration and people arriving from elsewhere in Britain. Sussex cannot take its attractiveness for granted The county has powerful advantages: its coast, countryside, culture, universities and proximity to London among them. But attracting and retaining people also requires good jobs, housing, infrastructure, education and communities in which people can see a future for themselves. 🧭 What does this have to do with devolution? Immigration itself is not being devolved. Decisions about visas, asylum, settlement and citizenship remain matters for national government. But many of the consequences of migration – and many of the reasons people move – intersect directly with the responsibilities of the emerging Sussex strategic authority. Skills shortages affect economic growth. Migrant workers support important sectors of the economy. Housing and transport affect whether people can take available jobs. International talent can determine whether specialist businesses choose to invest and expand here. And questions of identity and community cohesion matter to the wider sense of belonging that accompanies the creation of a stronger Sussex-wide political geography. The challenge for a future mayor is therefore not to devise a Sussex immigration policy, but to understand how national immigration policy interacts with the economic and social reality of Sussex – and to represent that reality intelligently to Westminster. 👤 About Laura Charge Laura Charge is an immigration consultant based in Horsham, West Sussex, with extensive experience of the UK immigration system. She began her career with the immigration service at just 17, initially working at the Port of Dover, before going on to work across the Home Office immigration system. Today, Laura runs her own consultancy, supporting individuals, employers and educational institutions to understand and comply with UK immigration requirements. Her work includes helping businesses navigate sponsorship and recruitment, supporting independent schools with international students and specialist staff, and helping individuals understand lawful routes to remain and settle in the UK. Her perspective combines experience from inside the national immigration system with the everyday reality of helping employers and individuals navigate it at local level. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Laura Charge Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 https://sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #57 The Global Medtech Story Hiding In Sussex Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Tim Rose – UK General Manager, Elekta 🔍 Episode summary Does Sussex really understand the scale of the businesses, technologies and expertise already operating here? Sussex is often described as a small business economy; a place of SMEs, freelancers, independents and microbusinesses. That is certainly part of the story. But it can obscure another Sussex economy; one built around advanced manufacturing, engineering, medical technology and businesses operating on a genuinely global scale. In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with Tim Rose, UK General Manager of Elekta, one of Sussex's largest employers and one of the county's international success stories. From its campus at Manor Royal in Crawley, Elekta designs and manufactures sophisticated radiotherapy technology used to treat cancer around the world. Machines have been manufactured on the site since the 1960s; it is approaching its 6,500th machine, while the technology produced there has contributed to the treatment of more than 350 million patients globally. Yet outside medical technology and advanced manufacturing, relatively few people in Sussex know the scale of what is happening there. Richard and Tim use Elekta as a starting point for a much bigger conversation about whether Sussex is sufficiently good at identifying, connecting and promoting its economic strengths. They discuss the cluster of globally significant engineering and technology businesses around Crawley and the Gatwick Diamond, and whether devolution could help connect these strengths more intelligently with Brighton, Worthing, Shoreham, Newhaven and the east of the county. That raises a fundamental question about the emerging Sussex economy. Should places continue to compete and plan primarily within their existing boundaries, or could transport, skills, housing and infrastructure increasingly be considered as interconnected economic corridors? Skills are central to the conversation too. Elekta works with universities, colleges and schools across Sussex, providing apprenticeships, graduate routes, STEM experiences and opportunities for neurodiverse young people. Tim argues that making these careers visible matters; world-leading engineering opportunities can exist only a few miles from a young person's home while remaining almost completely outside their field of vision. And with strategic mayoral authorities taking a greater role in skills, transport and economic development, Richard and Tim explore whether devolution could turn individual examples of good practice into something more systematic. Tim's ultimate argument is for a clearer "One Sussex" economic message – not pretending that Hastings, Crawley, Brighton and Chichester have identical economies, but making a stronger collective case for investment, infrastructure, talent and growth. This episode is brought to you in partnership with the NatWest Accelerator Hub at the University of Brighton. Designed for ambitious founders and early-stage businesses, including those too young or small for many conventional business support programmes, the hub offers free workshops, expert coaching and practical support around finance, sales, funding and leadership, alongside a dedicated app and business community. Search NatWest Accelerator Brighton to find out more. 🎯 In this episode The global medical technology being designed and manufactured in Crawley Why some of Sussex's biggest economic success stories remain surprisingly invisible Elekta's role in the global treatment of cancer Artificial intelligence and MRI technology in modern radiotherapy The advanced manufacturing cluster around Crawley and Manor Royal Why large employers need strong local SME supply chains Whether Sussex should think in terms of economic corridors rather than council boundaries Transport and housing as barriers to recruitment and growth The economic potential of Gatwick, Shoreham and Newhaven Partnerships between employers, universities, colleges and schools Apprenticeships and alternative routes into advanced engineering Making STEM careers visible to young people Creating better opportunities for neurodiverse talent What greater mayoral responsibility for skills could mean for employers Tim's argument for a stronger "One Sussex" economic proposition 🧠 Key themes Sussex may be underselling its strongest businesses Elekta illustrates a curious Sussex problem. Globally significant technology is being developed and manufactured here, yet much of the population has little idea it exists. If Sussex wants to attract investment and talent, identifying and communicating these strengths becomes economically important rather than simply an exercise in civic pride. Economic geography does not neatly follow council boundaries Crawley, Gatwick, Brighton, Worthing, Shoreham and Newhaven have very different identities, but businesses, workers, supply chains and infrastructure connect them. Devolution creates an opportunity to consider whether these relationships should shape economic strategy more than historic administrative borders. Infrastructure is economic policy For a business employing around 750 people on its Crawley campus, transport is not an abstract policy discussion. It determines who can realistically work there. Tim argues that better connections and affordable housing are therefore essential ingredients in attracting and retaining skilled people. Skills need to become a Sussex-wide system Individual employers already have strong relationships with schools, colleges and universities. The opportunity presented by devolution is to connect these activities, so that access to an employer or career does not depend upon whether one particularly proactive school happens to know about it. Young people cannot aspire to jobs they cannot see One of the clearest challenges in the episode is visibility. Sussex can possess excellent STEM jobs, apprenticeships and graduate careers while simultaneously having young people living nearby who have no idea those opportunities exist. "One Sussex" should not mean one identical Sussex Tim's case is not that every part of the county has the same economic needs. He explicitly identifies the differences between the Gatwick economy and the south coast. The argument is instead that Sussex could present a more coherent external proposition while retaining those important local distinctions. 🏥 About Elekta Elekta is a Swedish-headquartered global medical technology company specialising in precision radiation oncology. Radiotherapy machines have been manufactured on the Manor Royal in Crawley site since the 1960s, with the business subsequently becoming part of Elekta in the 1990s. The Sussex campus now combines manufacturing, engineering, research and development. Among the technologies discussed in the episode is Elekta Unity, which combines radiotherapy with live MRI imaging to allow clinicians to see and respond to tumours during treatment. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Tim Rose Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 https://sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #56 The Letter That Started This Whole Devolution Conversation Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Chris Hare – historian, writer, community educator 🔍 Episode summary This episode goes back to where Sussex And The City effectively began. Well over a year before this episode was released, Worthing historian Chris Hare distributed an open letter to thousands of local households questioning the rapidly emerging plans for Sussex devolution and local government reorganisation. One of those letters landed on Richard Freeman's doormat, and helped prompt the conversations that eventually became this podcast. Much has changed since Richard and Chris recorded this conversation. At the time, Sussex appeared to be heading towards a mayoral election in May 2026. That election has since been postponed until 2028; the government has confirmed its preferred structure for East Sussex and Brighton & Hove, subject to approval; and the final decision for West Sussex has been delayed until October 2026. But that makes this conversation more interesting rather than less. Chris questions whether what Sussex is experiencing is really devolution at all. If power is genuinely being transferred closer to communities, he asks, why do so many important decisions and resources remain concentrated in Whitehall? And why reorganise councils before addressing the financial pressures that have left many local services struggling? Richard asks whether larger authorities could eventually have the scale to take on more responsibility? Could a Sussex mayor build the strategic capacity needed to tackle transport, infrastructure, economic development and perhaps eventually issues such as water? And could reconnecting Sussex as a political geography create a stronger regional identity? The result is a deliberately sceptical conversation about something often missing from the technical discussion of devolution: democratic legitimacy. Because reorganising institutions is relatively straightforward. Persuading people that the institutions belong to them is much harder. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with Worthing Theatres and Museum, Worthing's home for live entertainment, heritage, cinema, exhibitions and cultural experiences. Across venues including the Connaught Theatre and Cinema, Pavilion Theatre, Assembly Hall and Worthing Museum, WTM plays an important role in the cultural and civic life of the town – making it a particularly fitting partner for a conversation about local identity, heritage and belonging. Find out more at wtm.uk. 🎯 In this episode The letter that helped inspire Sussex And The City Why Chris Hare became concerned about devolution Whether people actually asked for local government reorganisation The difference between institutional reform and genuine devolution Why council finances matter more than council boundaries Whether a Sussex mayor will have enough meaningful power Water, public services and the limits of local control The tension between efficiency and genuinely local government Why Greater Manchester may not be an easy model for Sussex Public consultation, political cynicism and democratic trust Whether Sussex still has a meaningful shared identity The risks of concentrating power in a directly elected mayor Whether independents could reshape politics in the new unitary councils 🧠 Key themes Reorganisation is not necessarily devolution Chris's central challenge is that changing boundaries and institutions does not automatically move meaningful power towards communities. His test is about who controls the money, who controls essential services, and who can actually make decisions? The legitimacy question has not disappeared The timetable may have changed since this conversation was recorded, but Chris's underlying challenge remains about whether residents understand why these reforms are happening, and do they believe they have meaningfully influenced them? Scale creates a democratic trade-off Larger authorities may be able to coordinate services and infrastructure more effectively. But the bigger the geography, the greater the risk that government feels remote. The debate is therefore not simply about the right-sized council, but about how strategic scale and neighbourhood power coexist. Sussex identity could become more important Chris recognises Sussex as an unusually ancient political geography, while also acknowledging that today's county bears little resemblance to historic Sussex. Devolution could nevertheless provide a new reason for people to reconsider what Sussex means as a contemporary place. A mayor needs more than powers The discussion highlights an overlooked element of mayoral government - personality and leadership. Formal powers matter, but so do the ability to convene, persuade, build public trust and make a new institution feel relevant. Political apathy is an outcome, not an explanation Chris draws on historically much higher election turnouts to challenge the idea that people simply aren't interested in local democracy. His argument is that people participate when they believe institutions matter and their involvement can change something. 💬 What Chris says "Why bring about changes that no one's asked for?" "Democracy depends, one, on people being informed and, two, on people being engaged." "To me, devolution is about giving power to the people." "Whatever you create, the first thing you've got to do is convince people that it's a thing and that they relate to it." "Creating new elected posts, if they haven't got the real power and they haven't got the real resources, won't cut the mustard." ✉️ The letter that started the conversation Chris distributed around 3,000–3,500 copies of his open letter across different parts of Worthing, deliberately trying to reach different neighbourhoods, ages and economic circumstances. Some residents shared his concerns; others essentially told him there was little point objecting because the changes would happen anyway. That second response becomes one of the most important threads in the episode. If people assume political decisions are inevitable regardless of their involvement, the problem facing devolution is much deeper than choosing the right council boundaries. It is about rebuilding the belief that participation itself matters. 👤 About Chris Hare Chris Hare is a Worthing-born historian, writer, oral historian and community educator whose work explores the relationship between Sussex's history, local identity and contemporary community life. He has researched and written about local history since his teenage years and has led community history projects across Sussex through History People UK. Chris also brings direct experience of local politics: he served as a West Sussex County Councillor from 1989 to 1997 and stood for Parliament in Worthing West at the 1997 general election. Although he subsequently stepped away from party politics, he has remained closely involved in Worthing's civic life. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Chris Hare Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future

*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id= "request-69dc2385-b360-8328-b090-2bd5682a3b54-53" data-turn-id-container= "request-69dc2385-b360-8328-b090-2bd5682a3b54-53" data-testid= "conversation-turn-74" data-turn="assistant"> The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #55 The TikTok Influencer Making Sense Of Sussex Devolution Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Charlotte (@thatisnewstome) – Political content creator 🔍 Episode summary Can TikTok explain local government reorganisation better than official comms teams? As England undergoes its biggest programme of local government reform in half a century, it is likely that young(ish) people will discovering devolution and council reorganisation through short-form videos on social media rather than official consultation. In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with Charlotte (@thatisnewstome), whose TikTok and Instagram explainers have attracted a growing audience by making devolution, council restructuring and local politics accessible, engaging and surprisingly entertaining. Charlotte explains how she researches complex government proposals, distils hundreds of pages of consultation documents into digestible videos, and why she believes people deserve to understand the decisions that will shape their communities. Together they explore why Sussex has become one of the country's most intriguing devolution stories. From competing proposals for new unitary councils to debates over Brighton's boundaries, housing growth, local identity and mayoral powers, Sussex has become a national case study in the opportunities, and tensions, created by fast-track change. If people are learning about major constitutional change from independent creators rather than official communications, what does that say about the future of civic engagement? --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the NatWest Accelerator Hub at the University of Brighton. Designed for ambitious founders and early-stage businesses with four or fewer employees, the Accelerator offers free coaching, expert-led workshops and practical support covering finance, sales, leadership and funding. Alongside a dedicated business community and digital tools, it helps entrepreneurs build sustainable businesses from the ground up. Find out more by searching NatWest Accelerator Brighton or visiting natwest.com/business/accelerator. 🎯 In this episode Why Charlotte started explaining politics on TikTok and Instagram Making devolution understandable for everyday audiences Why government communication has struggled The difference between devolution and local government reorganisation Why Sussex has become a national devolution case study The politics behind competing council boundary proposals Housing, planning and Brighton's proposed expansion Why local identity shapes public opinion The future role of Sussex's elected mayor Whether social media is changing democratic participation 🧠 Key themes Communication shapes public understanding Major constitutional reforms only succeed if people understand what is changing and why. Charlotte argues that accessibility is now as important as policy itself. Devolution is more than structural reform Behind changes to councils and elected mayors lie fundamental questions about democracy, accountability, identity and how local services are delivered. Sussex has become a national test case The county's debates over geography, housing, planning and local identity illustrate many of the tensions emerging across England's wider devolution programme. Local identity remains powerful Communities care deeply about where they belong. Administrative efficiency may drive reform, but people's emotional connection to place remains a significant factor in public debate. Social media is reshaping civic engagement Independent creators are increasingly helping people understand public policy, reaching audiences who may never engage with official consultations or traditional political reporting. Better communication builds better democracy Complex government reform needs clear explanation. Making politics understandable is becoming an increasingly important part of democratic participation. 💬 What Charlotte says "People shouldn't have to read 250-page PDFs to understand what's happening where they live." "Get informed, not overwhelmed." "Sussex has become one of the most interesting places to watch." "Politics becomes much more engaging when people can relate it to everyday life." "This is the biggest change to local government in 50 years." 📱 About Charlotte (@thatisnewstome) Charlotte is the creator behind @thatisnewstome, an independent TikTok and Instagram channel dedicated to making politics and public policy easier to understand. Drawing on extensive research into local government, devolution and elections, she produces short-form explainers that translate complex policy into clear, accessible content using graphics, humour and everyday analogies. Her work has built a growing audience interested in understanding how national decisions affect local communities. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Charlotte (@thatisnewstome) Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 https://sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #54 The Case For Neighbourhood Power Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Ross Mudie – Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) 🔍 Episode summary In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with Ross Mudie from the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) about some of the biggest questions facing Sussex as local government is reorganised and a new mayoral authority begins to take shape. ICON, chaired by former Cabinet Minister Baroness Hilary Armstrong, is examining why some neighbourhoods continue to experience poor health, low opportunity and entrenched disadvantage despite decades of regeneration programmes and public investment. Its work argues that neighbourhood renewal depends not only on funding, but on rebuilding the relationships, institutions and community capacity that allow places to thrive. Richard and Ross explore the idea of 'double disadvantage', and communities experiencing economic hardship while also lacking the social infrastructure, local organisations and civic confidence needed to influence decisions and improve everyday life. The conversation examines why deprivation in Sussex remains persistent in places such as Hastings, how transport, housing, health and employment reinforce one another, and whether Sussex's new governance arrangements can strengthen neighbourhood action rather than unintentionally weakening it. This is a conversation about power beyond simply where it sits, but how communities can genuinely share it. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with Worthing Homes, providing affordable homes and supporting thriving communities across the Sussex coast. Worthing Homes believes that creating a good home is only the beginning. Working alongside residents, local organisations and public sector partners, they invest in neighbourhoods where people can feel secure, connected and able to fulfil their potential. From improving homes and supporting health and wellbeing to helping communities become stronger and more resilient, Worthing Homes is committed to building places where people don't just live, but belong. To find out more, visit worthinghomes.org.uk.  🎯 In this episode What the Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods is investigating Why some neighbourhoods remain disadvantaged for decades The meaning of 'double disadvantage' Why community organisations matter as much as physical regeneration Lessons from Hastings and other coastal communities The relationship between housing, health, transport and employment How local government reorganisation could affect neighbourhoods Why communities need more than consultation Whether devolution can strengthen neighbourhood power What long-term neighbourhood renewal really requires 🧠 Key themes Neighbourhoods need power as well as investment ICON argues that lasting regeneration requires communities to have the confidence, institutions and influence to shape decisions—not simply receive funding programmes. Deprivation is interconnected Poor health, unemployment, housing quality, transport and public safety reinforce one another. Improving neighbourhoods requires joined-up action rather than isolated interventions. Social infrastructure matters more than ever Community centres, local partnerships, trusted organisations and informal networks create the foundations that enable neighbourhoods to become more resilient. Bigger institutions need stronger local relationships As Sussex moves towards larger unitary councils and a strategic mayoral authority, maintaining local knowledge and neighbourhood voice will become increasingly important. Community organising is unequal Wealthier communities often have greater capacity to organise, campaign and influence decisions. More disadvantaged neighbourhoods may require active support to build the same level of civic power. Leadership is about what you do Ross argues that successful devolution will depend less on constitutional structures and more on how local leaders use their powers to improve people's everyday lives. 💬 What Ross says "Deprivation is sticky." "There are always people with ideas who want to improve their community." "Businesses won't invest where the social foundations aren't strong." "If you simply hope communities organise themselves, don't be surprised when they don't." "It's less about the model and more about what you do with it." 🏘️ Why neighbourhood power matters Ross argues that successful places are built from the neighbourhood up. Communities with trusted organisations, active residents and strong local relationships are better able to respond to change, attract investment and improve quality of life. As Sussex develops new regional institutions, the challenge will be ensuring neighbourhoods become more influential, not more distant from decision-making. 👤 About Ross Mudie Ross Mudie is Head of Research Analysis at the ICON, where he leads research into the social and economic challenges facing England's most disadvantaged communities. Before joining ICON, he was a Senior Research Analyst at the Centre for Progressive Policy, specialising in regional economics and place-based policy. He has also worked at United Nations University–MERIT and in local government policy. His work focuses on neighbourhood regeneration, economic opportunity, social infrastructure and how national and local policy can tackle entrenched disadvantage. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Ross Mudie Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 https://sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #53 "You Can't Just Slide This Under The Mat And Say, 'Oh, We're Just Going To Do This, And Nobody's Going To Notice.'" Host: Richard Freeman Guests: Irene, Graham, Alan and Alexandra - Members of Hop 50+ at Impact Initiatives 🔍 Episode summary In this special community edition of Sussex And The City, Richard Freeman visits the Cornerstone Community Centre in Hove to hear directly from members of the Hop 50+ programme run by Impact Initiatives about the future of Sussex. Rather than debating constitutional reform, the conversation focuses on buses that don't arrive, community spaces that keep people connected, concerns about mental health services, affordable housing, local identity and whether decision-makers truly understand everyday life. The discussion reveals widespread support for decisions being made closer to local communities, but also a clear warning. If Sussex is about to undergo its biggest governance change in a generation, residents believe they need to understand it, shape it and feel part of it. Devolution cannot simply happen to people. Along the way the group reflects on rural isolation, public transport, tourism, local newspapers, Airbnbs, culture, ageing well and what makes Sussex distinctive. Throughout, they return to one central question: can a future Sussex Mayor provide a long-term vision while remaining close enough to the communities they serve? The result is one of the most grounded conversations in the series; less about political structures and more about what good local leadership should actually feel like. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with Sussex Community Foundation; connecting people who care with the communities and causes making a difference across Sussex. Through grant-making, philanthropy and local partnerships, Sussex Community Foundation helps strengthen communities, reduce inequality and support grassroots organisations throughout the county. To find out more, visit sussexcommunityfoundation.org. --- 🎯 In this episode Why many residents have never heard about Sussex devolution Community centres as essential public infrastructure Mental health, prevention and local wellbeing services Rural Sussex and fears of being overlooked Public transport, concessionary travel and accessibility Housing affordability, second homes and Airbnbs The decline of local newspapers and civic engagement Arts, tourism and protecting Sussex's character What people actually want from a Sussex Mayor Building a long-term vision that communities recognise as their own 🧠 Key themes Devolution needs public consent Participants repeatedly argue that constitutional change cannot simply be announced. Residents need to understand what is happening, why it matters and how they can influence it. Community is preventative infrastructure From mental wellbeing to tackling loneliness, local community organisations provide services that reduce pressure elsewhere in the public sector. Rural and urban Sussex both matter Any future strategic authority will need to balance the needs of Brighton & Hove, coastal towns, market towns and rural communities rather than allowing one perspective to dominate. Better communication builds trust Many participants describe feeling disconnected from modern politics. Clear information, visible leadership and meaningful engagement are seen as essential if devolution is to succeed. Identity should unite rather than divide While local loyalties remain strong, contributors believe Sussex needs a clearer shared story that celebrates its coastline, countryside, culture and communities. Think beyond election cycles The group consistently calls for decisions that improve quality of life over decades rather than responding only to short-term political pressures. 👥 About Hop 50+ and Impact Initiatives Hop 50+ is a community programme delivered by Impact Initiatives, one of Sussex's largest charities supporting wellbeing, resilience and social connection across the county. Through activities, advice, volunteering and community events, the programme helps older residents remain active, connected and engaged within their local communities. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guests: Irene, Graham, Alan and Alexandra Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 https://sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #52 Is Sussex Ready For The AI Economy? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Adam Stafford – Founder & CEO, Fresh Egg 🔍 Episode summary Artificial intelligence might be reshaping the Sussex labour market faster than education, government and business can adapt. Is this a priority for devolution? In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with Adam Stafford, founder and CEO of Worthing-based digital agency Fresh Egg, about the future of work, entrepreneurship and what Sussex needs to do if it wants to remain competitive in a rapidly changing economy. Having built Fresh Egg from a spare bedroom in Worthing into one of the UK's leading digital marketing and web performance agencies, Adam reflects on nearly three decades of technological change, and argues that the AI revolution is unlike anything businesses have experienced before. Together they discuss how automation is transforming entry-level jobs, why employers are struggling to plan for skills that barely existed six months ago, and whether universities, colleges and government can realistically keep pace with the speed of change. The conversation also explores why Sussex's economy is powered by ambitious small businesses, how a future mayor could better connect business, education and innovation, and why creating the right conditions for entrepreneurs may be one of the most important investments the region can make. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the University of Brighton's Help to Grow programme, supporting ambitious SME leaders across Sussex with practical leadership, innovation and business growth support through a government-funded executive development programme. 🎯 In this episode How Fresh Egg grew from a Worthing start-up into a national digital agency Why Worthing became home for a successful technology business How AI is changing digital businesses at unprecedented speed Why entry-level jobs are becoming increasingly difficult to create Whether education can keep pace with technological change Why small businesses drive innovation The future relationship between business and skills development What Sussex needs to become more competitive nationally How devolution could support entrepreneurship and innovation Why collaboration between business, education and government matters 🧠 Key themes AI is transforming work faster than institutions can respond Adam argues that businesses are already redesigning roles around artificial intelligence, while education systems and public policy struggle to adapt to technology that evolves almost weekly. Small businesses drive innovation Sussex's economy depends heavily on founder-led businesses that can experiment, adapt and innovate quickly, often moving faster than larger organisations. Skills need continual reinvention Traditional career pathways are becoming less predictable. Future success will depend on adaptability, continuous learning and the ability to work alongside rapidly evolving technologies. Sussex needs a stronger business identity While the county has significant strengths across digital, creative industries and entrepreneurship, Adam believes Sussex could do far more to promote itself as a destination for ambitious businesses and skilled people. Growth is about more than infrastructure Alongside transport and housing, economic growth depends on supporting entrepreneurs, strengthening local networks and creating an environment where businesses can evolve with confidence. Collaboration creates resilience Closer partnerships between business, education and local leadership could help Sussex respond more effectively to technological disruption and prepare the workforce for emerging industries. 💬 What Adam says "Technology is moving at a pace no one has seen before." "The businesses that will get through the next few years are the smaller organisations who can move quickly." "The curriculum simply can't keep up with the pace of change." "Wouldn't it be nice if running a small business could become a little bit easier?" "What is the thing that we want Sussex to become recognised for?" 🤖 Why AI changes the conversation Rather than viewing artificial intelligence simply as another technology trend, Adam argues that it represents a fundamental shift in how businesses operate. As routine tasks become increasingly automated, employers will need different skills, different organisational structures and new approaches to recruitment and training. The challenge for Sussex is not simply adopting AI, but preparing people, businesses and institutions to thrive alongside it. 👤 About Adam Stafford Adam Stafford is Founder and CEO of Fresh Egg, one of Sussex's longest-established digital marketing and web performance agencies. Founded in Worthing in 2000, Fresh Egg has grown from a three-person start-up into a nationally recognised agency working with organisations including John Lewis, Vitality and the Open University. Alongside leading the business, Adam has championed digital skills development through initiatives including the Fresh Egg Academy and CharityWise, supporting charities and future digital professionals across Sussex. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Adam Stafford Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 https://sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #51 The Problem With One-Size-Fits-All Devolution Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Andrew Griffith MP – Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs; Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade 🔍 Episode summary Can one model of devolution work for every part of England? In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with Andrew Griffith MP about what devolution could mean for Sussex, and why he believes Whitehall often underestimates the diversity of places it is trying to reform. Drawing on experience in both business and government, Andrew reflects on representing one of Sussex's largest rural constituencies, the challenges facing small businesses, infrastructure and planning, and whether a Sussex mayor can genuinely make better decisions than Westminster. Together they explore the balance between local identity and regional strategy, why transport remains one of Sussex's biggest barriers to growth, and whether devolution risks becoming another layer of government unless accompanied by meaningful powers and funding. The discussion also examines the importance of rural economies, the future of the South Downs, the county's growing wine industry and why Sussex's distinctive character should shape, rather than be squeezed into, a national model of devolution. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with You All Right, Mate?, the workplace programme from Different Hats, helping organisations build healthier, more resilient cultures through honest conversation, connection and psychological safety. 🎯 In this episode Why Andrew believes Sussex needs devolution with genuine local powers Whether a directly elected mayor can make a practical difference The economic importance of rural Sussex Why transport infrastructure remains a long-standing challenge Lessons from Covid for local businesses and communities The future of planning inside the South Downs National Park How Sussex's wine industry is building an international reputation Why Whitehall often struggles with place-based policymaking Whether devolution should look different in rural and urban England What success could look like for Sussex over the next decade 🧠 Key themes Devolution needs meaningful powers Andrew supports decisions being made closer to local communities but argues that genuine devolution requires more than new governance structures. Without significant funding and decision-making authority, new institutions risk becoming another administrative layer. Rural economies deserve greater attention Much of Sussex's economy depends on small businesses, farming, tourism, hospitality and specialist rural industries that often receive less policy attention than larger urban economies. Infrastructure shapes opportunity Long-standing transport issues, particularly along the A27, continue to constrain economic growth, investment and connectivity across Sussex. National policies rarely fit every place One-size-fits-all policymaking often struggles to reflect the realities of places like Sussex, where cities, market towns, villages and protected landscapes exist alongside globally significant businesses. Identity matters Andrew argues that successful devolution should strengthen Sussex's identity while respecting the strong local loyalties that already exist across its towns, villages and communities. Local resilience matters Reflecting on Covid, Andrew highlights the adaptability of Sussex's small businesses and argues that future economic policy should better recognise and support local enterprise. 💬 What Andrew says "The smartest, best decisions are made close to local people." "Nobody ever came to my surgeries asking for a Sussex mayor." "One-size-fits-all doesn't work." "The world is simply a more challenging place than it has been for most of my adult life." "If there was a greater pride in being from Sussex, that would be a success." 🌿 Why rural Sussex matters While discussions about economic growth often focus on cities, Andrew argues that much of Sussex's long-term prosperity depends on its rural economy. Farming, food production, tourism, vineyards, hospitality and thousands of small independent businesses contribute significantly to the county's identity and economic resilience. Any future mayoral authority, he argues, will need to balance urban investment with the needs of countryside communities and protected landscapes. 👤 About Andrew Griffith MP Andrew Griffith has been Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs since 2019. Before entering politics he spent over two decades at Sky, becoming one of the youngest finance directors in the FTSE 100 before serving as Chief Operating Officer. He also chaired Just Eat during a significant period of its growth. Since entering Parliament he has held ministerial responsibilities across business, trade, science, innovation and the Treasury, including serving as Director of the Number 10 Policy Unit. He currently serves as Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Andrew Griffith MP Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 https://sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #50 Can Place-Based Experiments Fix Broken Politics? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Polly Mackenzie – public policy thinker, former senior government adviser 🔍 Episode summary Can devolution do more than simply move power around? Could it fundamentally change how Britain solves problems? In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with one of Britain's leading public policy thinkers, Polly Mackenzie, about why many of today's biggest challenges cannot be solved by traditional government structures alone. Drawing on experience inside Whitehall, think tanks, universities and social innovation, Polly argues that Britain's institutions have become too slow, too fragmented and too risk-averse to deal with modern challenges. Instead, she makes the case for a new culture of place-based experimentation, where local leaders are trusted to test ideas, learn quickly and build stronger collaboration across public services. Against the backdrop of Sussex's emerging devolution settlement, the conversation explores whether a future mayoral authority could become a laboratory for more agile government, bringing together health, housing, education, policing and economic development around shared local outcomes rather than departmental silos. Along the way they discuss democratic frustration, state capacity, local leadership, innovation, public sector culture and why solving complex problems often depends less on finding new ideas than creating better conditions for people to work together. --- This episode is brought to you in partnership with the Sussex Intelligence Unit, a new independent research platform from the team behind Sussex And The City. Sussex is changing. Devolution is reshaping how major decisions and major investment get made, but without the right evidence, how can it deliver what our communities need? The Sussex Intelligence Unit answers that challenge. It's the first independent cross-sector platform to look at growth, infrastructure, governance, and belonging across East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton & Hove. New data, fresh analysis, evidence-led insight designed to put businesses, voluntary sector organisations, and policy makers ahead of what's next, because the decisions made today will shape Sussex for a generation. For the intelligence you need, visit www.sussexintelligence.com --- 🎯 In this episode Why frustration has become Britain's defining political emotion What Polly means by being a 'policy entrepreneur' Why many public problems cut across government departments How devolution could strengthen state capacity The leadership skills modern public services increasingly need Why collaboration matters more than organisational structures Fiscal devolution and the future of English mayors Why experimentation should become part of public service culture The role of 'Test, Learn and Grow' in government reform Whether Sussex could become a national model for place-based innovation 🧠 Key themes Modern problems require joined-up government Challenges including housing, chronic health conditions, youth unemployment and public safety span multiple organisations, making traditional departmental structures increasingly ineffective. Devolution is about more than governance Done well, devolution creates opportunities for places to coordinate services, build stronger partnerships and make decisions closer to the communities they affect. Leadership is becoming more relational Future public leaders will need to convene organisations, build trust and create space for collaboration, rather than simply manage hierarchical systems. Innovation depends on experimentation Public institutions often reward certainty over curiosity. Polly argues that genuine improvement requires permission to test ideas, learn from failure and continuously adapt. Place creates better policy Local government can become a platform for solving complex problems because people, services and institutions are physically closer together and better able to collaborate. Sussex has an unusual opportunity With a new strategic authority being created alongside local government reorganisation, Sussex has a chance not simply to redesign governance, but to rethink how public services innovate and work together. 💬 What Polly says "The dominant emotion of our time is frustration." "There are very rarely new ideas. It's the patient, diligent work of getting things done that matters." "Freedom to succeed is the same as freedom to fail." "If everybody is constantly trying to make things five per cent better, that's transformative." "Entrepreneurial tinkering never gets too tidy." 🧠 Why this matters for Sussex As Sussex prepares for an elected mayor and a new Strategic Authority, there is an opportunity to think differently about how public services are designed. Rather than simply creating another layer of governance, Polly argues that devolution should enable places to become more experimental, bringing together organisations around shared local challenges, giving leaders permission to innovate and creating cultures where learning is valued as highly as certainty. For Sussex, success may depend less on constitutional reform than on whether local institutions are prepared to collaborate, experiment and embrace a more entrepreneurial approach to public leadership. 👤 About Polly Mackenzie Polly Mackenzie is one of Britain's best-known public policy thinkers. She served as Director of Policy to Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg during the 2010-2015 UK Coalition Government, playing a significant role during the first wave of English devolution. She later became Chief Executive of the think tank Demos, co-founded the Women's Equality Party, helped establish Martin Lewis's Money and Mental Health Policy Institute, and served as Chief Social Purpose Officer at the University of the Arts London. Today she writes the influential How To Run A Country blog and is a regular commentator on British politics, democracy, public sector reform and institutional change. 🎧 Production credits Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Polly Mackenzie Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey Production management: Letitia McConalogue 📣 Get involved 👉 https://sussexandthecity.info — episodes, resources and events 👉 https://sussexintelligence.com — research, insight and analysis on Sussex's future