Brighton & Hove is a young, dynamic and creative seaside city, which attracts visitors, conference delegates and students from around the world. Its vibrant nightlife, cosmopolitan atmosphere and liberal outlook make it one of the most popular places in England in which to live, work and study. The city is a major cultural and heritage centre and the spectacular Brighton Pavilion, built between 1784 and 1822 for the Prince Regent, dominates the Old Steine near the city centre.
Brighton & Hove became a Unitary Authority in 1996 and was awarded city status in 2001. The city has an area of 84 sq.km and a population of just under 250,000 people. Brighton & Hove is located on the south coast, sandwiched between East and West Sussex. With the South Downs to the north of the city, the tranquillity of the countryside surrounding Brighton & Hove contrasts sharply with the cafes, bars, clubs and restaurants in the heart of town.
Key sectors
Brighton & Hove has a strong service sector economy, with financial services and business services being key drivers of economic growth. The new media cluster currently leads the city's growing creative sector. Other developing sectors are environmental technology, biotechnology and healthcare.
The visitor economy is also of major significance to Brighton & Hove. An estimated 20% of local employment is in businesses allied to the tourism industry and the 8 million people who visit Brighton & Hove each year contribute an estimated £400 million to the local economy each year. The Brighton Festival, which involves over 700 events during a three week period each May, is the largest international arts festival in England.
The city has a relatively large public sector, with the universities employing more than 4,000 people between them. More than 25% of the local workforce is employed in the public sector. Within the Universities there are a very wide range of research strengths assessed in the Research Assessment Exercise 2001 and given top ratings (5*). The relationship between local businesses and the Universities supported by funding streams such as HEROBAC has lead to the development of MSc courses providing local employers with a qualified and appropriately trained workforce.
Major employers include American Express, Lloyds TSB, Epic Multimedia, Kimberly Clarke, BUPA International, Mott MacDonald, Customs Pharmaceutical, Brighton Health Care Trust.
Advantages and distinctive features
Situated just over 50 miles south of Central London, the capital is less than an hour away by rail whilst London Gatwick International airport - the UK's second busiest airport - is just a 30 minutes journey from the city centre. The local seaport of Newhaven with its ferry service to Dieppe is only 15 miles away and the channel tunnel - 75 minutes drive from the city centre provide Brighton & Hove with excellent links to Europe and beyond.
The 20,000 full-time students at the two universities and three further education colleges contribute to the high proportion of 20-39 year olds in Brighton & Hove. During the summer, the city is enriched by thousands of visitors and foreign language students studying at one of Brighton & Hove's 30 language schools, many of them look for employment during and after their course.
Brighton & Hove has been praised by the government regeneration Think Tank, the Urban Task Force, for its success in diversifying the local economic base and attracting funding which has improved the quality of environment in the city centre and the sea front. The seafront has been redeveloped and the Dome Theatre and Brighton Museum complex has been recently opened.
Key figures
Surface area: 84 km2
Population: 247,820 (2001)
Density: 2,950 ha / km2
Active population: 185,131
GDP/capita: 17,495.7 (Purchase Power Standard 1999)
Unemployment rate: 3.2% (2002)
Repartition of the workforce by sector (1999)(1):
- primary : 1.3 %
- secondary : 18.1 %
- tertiary : 80.6 %
(1)Surrey, East and West Sussex
