It’s a pleasure to be writing a new column in The Whistler on behalf of your Labour council. As councillors, we try to read all of the wonderful community publications across the city – from the Hovarian and the Brightonian, to Rottingdean Village News, the Moulsecoomb & Bevendean Newsletter, the North Laine Runner, and many more. Each of these publications are a brilliant representation of our vibrant communities, but none are as witty, irreverent and jolly as The Whistler! 

I wanted to start this new series of regular columns by setting out our stall as an administration. We were elected in May 2023 with the first full majority on the council for over 20 years, on a promise to make change and get the basics right. As a proactive Labour council, we are focused on four key missions to try and transform Brighton & Hove. 

The first is to restore the quality of basic services, and improve the ‘look and feel’ of the city. Brighton & Hove is an amazing place to live and visit – but the honest truth is that it hasn’t looked it’s best in recent years. A refuse and recycling service that isn’t as reliable as it should be, and certain streets and public areas that look neglected. The sad fact is that the working culture at Cityclean had become unacceptable. This was impacting staff, but also the quality of the service. Many people suspected this was the case, but we acted. Following a KC-led investigation, we have been making important structural changes to try and fix this service. We know there is a long way to go. 

Refuse and recycling weren’t the only services that needed restoring. A city that doesn’t have free public toilets is a city that’s not accessible for families, for older people and for disabled people. That’s why it was such a mistake for the previous Green council to shut so many public toilets, and why we’re delighted to have reopened 15 since taking office – including the long-shuttered toilets in Pavilion Gardens. 

The second area of focus is housing. This city has a housing crisis that is both deep and broad. From people who are forced to sleep rough, to private renters paying a fortune for poor standards, to families that leave the city because they can’t afford a suitable property – the last 14 years has seen a failure to properly tackle a genuine national crisis. That’s why we are so focused on increasing the amount of affordable housing in the city. We are building and buying new council houses from Portslade to Rottingdean, and everywhere in between – to try and make Brighton a more affordable place to live. 

Our third mission is to tackle inequality in the city. Which is why we have created the Brighton & Hove Fairness Fund, with over £800,000 to support residents struggling with cost-of-living, and why we’ve introduced a ground-breaking policy to give priority in school admissions to children on Free School Meals. 

Sitting above everything is the issue that will impact all of our lives and generations to come: climate change and the need to transition our economy. The city council declared a climate emergency in 2018, but so far has not created a plan to transition the entire city to net zero (having previously focused on just the emissions from council buildings). We are going to change that, and have just hired a new head of Net Zero at the council to help drive the city towards genuine energy transition. 

There is a long way to go in rebuilding the city, and the country, after a period of decline – but your local council has started the work to do exactly that. 

l Councillor Jacob Taylor is Deputy Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council