The Argus • 22/02/2025

Drivers to face more than a month of traffic delays on busy road

SGN has placed temporary traffic lights on Western Road, Brighton, which will be in operation until March 19 at the earliest. The gas company is carrying out emergency repairs to their gas network along Western Road between Brunswick Place and Cambridge Road. A spokeswoman said: "Our work began at the end of January and we expect it to be completed around March 19. "Our progress was delayed by the discovery of a damaged water main, which has now been fixed. "Because repairs are r...

The Argus • 17/02/2025

Sussex MP calls for Eurostar to return to South East

Helena Dollimore MP for Hastings met with the Rail Minister, Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on Friday to discuss the restoration of Eurostar services to Ashford International. Helena is among a group of MPs from the South East region who have been campaigning to bring back the international services to Ashford and Ebbsfleet. Eurostar suspended their services to Ashford and Ebbsfleet in 2020 and have not resumed in the five years since. (Image: Helena Dollimore MP) READ MORE: Sussex spar...

The Argus • 13/02/2025

Residents and businesses vote on future look of the Marina

The vote is taking place today between 7am to 10pm at the Estate Office Board Room in Brighton Marina.  The public has a say as to whether the Brighton Marina Neighbourhood Plan should be adopted by Brighton and Hove City Council. One of the referendums is for residents, and the other is for businesses. The polling station for both referendums will be the Estate Office Board Room in Brighton Marina (Image: UMPF) The neighbourhood plan will set policies for development and create...

The Argus • 09/02/2025

Academy trust stops running schools in Sussex after backlash over finances

The University of Brighton Academies Trust (UBAT) has decided it will no longer be running the 14 schools it was responsible for. The trust has asked the Department of Education to re-assign them to other academy trusts. UBAT operated schools in Shoreham, Crawley, Burgess Hill, Hastings, St Leonards and Lindfield but none in Brighton and Hove. Hastings Academy (Image: Google Maps) Parents, teachers and politicians have been campaigning against the trust after it was found that it kep...

The Argus • 09/02/2025

'I want Brighton to retain number one holiday destination status'

Last week, Brighton and Hove City Council announced that a new seafront development board will 'shape the transformation' of Brighton's seafront. Steve Bassam, The Right Honourable Lord Bassam of Brighton, was then announced as a chairman of this new board that will 'shape the city's most treasured asset’. Speaking with The Argus, Lord Bassam shares his ideas and plans for the future of Brighton and Hove's seafront. Brighton seafront'Brighton and Hove have an iconic seven-mile seafro...

The Argus • 06/02/2025

Local Green MP calls on council to be 'transparent' about i360 deal

MP Sian Berry for Brighton Pavilion has reacted to the news that Nightcap Limited completed the takeover of the Brighton i360 on a 115-year lease. Ms Berry said that she welcomes the news that the i360 is 'given a new lease of life' and that it's important that residents are given 'full sight of the details'. She said: "This is great news for the local business owners who I know were worried about the potential for total demolition that was being discussed by some in the council, and I a...

The Argus • 06/02/2025

Southern Water will compensate thousands of residents for water outage

This comes after Labour MP for Hastings Helena Dollimore placed pressure on the water firm’s CEO Lawrence Gosden in Parliament last month. Ms Dollimore questioned the Gosden on the decision to deny compensation to Hastings residents, leading the CEO to agree to review the company’s policy on the matter. Southern Water ceo Lawrence Gosden promising to review compensation in January (Image: House of Commons) More than 30,000 people in St Leonards and the Hastings area in May 2024 were left...

The Argus • 06/02/2025

Brighton and Hove council could expand under new devolution plans

As Sussex is set to get a mayor, Brighton and Hove City Council's boundaries could expand to include neighbouring authorities such as Adur - covering Shoreham - Worthing or Lewes. This comes as ministers approved proposals to create one "mayoral strategic authority" covering all of Sussex, including Brighton and Hove - and have put them on a list to be prioritised. READ MORE: Crawley could become part of Surrey instead of Sussex The plans were put forward by leaders of Brighton and H...

The Argus • 05/02/2025

Home Office 'rushed' purchase of former prison to house asylum seekers

The Public Accounts Committee, a cross-party committee, said the Government body ignored expert advice available at the time during its bid to buy former HMP Northeye, near Bexhill. A new report into the Home Office has raised concerns over its ability to stop such an 'unacceptable waste' of public money from happening again. The rusting exterior of the Northeye site (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) The previous Tory government acquired the HMP Northeye site near Bexhill for £15.4 milli...

The Argus • 05/02/2025

Project will 'transform' gateway into city centre, says councillor

Brighton and Hove City Council has been carrying out changes to the city centre as part of the third phase in the Valley Gardens project. Last week, Castle Square in Brighton was resurfaced and the large island just north of the Palace Pier roundabout had also been removed in preparation for a new road layout.  The Argus spoke with Councillor Trevor Muten, cabinet member for transport, parking and public realm and lead of the Valley Gardens Project to learn more about what the project me...

The Argus • 31/01/2025

Many more materials will be able to be recycled in Brighton and Hove

Brighton and Hove City Council announced today (January 30) that the expansion will be coming in May. From spring residents will be able to put a wider range of materials in their household kerbside or communal mixed recycling collections. This includes: READ MORE: Elderly man had to urinate in corridor at Royal Sussex The Argus understands that there will be no changes to the recycling site in Hollingdean, however there will be a change to the initial steps in the sorting of the...

The Argus • 30/01/2025

Academy trust stops running eight schools amid backlash over money it held back

The University of Brighton Academies Trust (UBAT) has decided it will no longer be running the schools in Hastings and St Leonards.  The trust has asked the Department of Education to re-assign them to other Multi-Academy Trusts. The schools which will be impacted include West St Leonards Primary Academy, Dudley Infant Academy, The Baird Primary Academy, Churchwood Primary Academy, Robsack Wood Primary Academy and Silverdale Primary Academy, as well as Hastings Academy and St Leonards Ac...

The Argus • 28/01/2025

Construction work at three hospitals won't be finished until 2039

This comes as Conservative MP Kieran Mullan for Bexhill and Battle urged the government to deliver 'urgent support' for hospitals in the county to tackle maintenance backlogs. He raised the issues during a debate in Parliament on Thursday to make the case of investment in new hospitals. Dr Mullan highlighted the ‘critical’ role played by Eastbourne District General Hospital, Conquest Hospital, and Bexhill Community Hospital in providing healthcare services to the public. Eastbourne h...

The Argus • 21/01/2025

Southern Water apologises for 'unacceptable' outage in Sussex

This comes after Labour and Co-operative MP for Hastings Helena Dollimore questioned the water firm’s CEO Lawrence Gosden  in Parliament. The CEO has committed to review compensation for residents affected by the May 2024 Hastings water outage. Southern Water digging around the burst pipe in May 2024 (Image: Southern Water) More than 30,000 people in St Leonards and the Hastings area were left without water following a burst water main in Keeper's Wood. Mr Gosden faced questions at t...

The Argus • 20/01/2025

MP refers himself to parliamentary watchdog

Lib Dem MP John Milne for Horsham has referred himself to the Commons standards committee over his son holding a staff parliamentary pass. He said that his son Oscar was an unpaid volunteer to help him set up his office after he was elected last July. According to parliamentary rules, it is prohibited for MPs elected since 2017 to employ immediate family members. John Milne said: "Oscar Milne was acting as an unpaid volunteer, assisting me with the set-up of my office post-election....

The Argus • 17/01/2025

As it happened: Farmers take over Sussex supermarkets in tax protest

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The Argus • 16/01/2025

MP tells government to back plans to let young people work in EU

Liberal Democrat MP James MacCleary for Lewes presented a Ten-Minute Rule Bill on January 15 calling for the UK Government to negotiate a new Youth Mobility Scheme. The ten-minute rule process allows a backbench MP to make the case for a new law in a speech in ten minutes. The proposed arrangement by James, who is the Lib Dem spokesman for Europe, would grant young people, usually aged between 18-30, short-term visas to live, work, or study across the Channel - without reopening free mov...

The Argus • 16/01/2025

Investigation into former Labour MP dropped

Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Brighton Kemptown for seven years, has been returned as a full member of the Cooperative and Labour party today. He was suspended by the Labour Party in May 2024 just before the July General Election due to an investigation into a complaint of alleged misconduct nine years ago. Mr Russell-Moyle disputed the claims at the time, calling them "vexatious and politically motivated". Today, the former MP has announced that the investigation by the Labour Party i...

The Argus • 09/12/2024

Home Office to sell former prison bought to house asylum seekers

The previous Tory government acquired the HMP Northeye site near Bexhill for £15.4 million in a bid to accommodate asylum seekers. In a letter to local MP Kieran Mullan today, Angela Eagle, a minister for border security and asylum, confirmed that the Labour government will now be selling it instead. Dame Eagle wrote: “The purchase of the Northeye site was made under the previous Government. This Government inherited an asylum system under exceptional strain, with tens of thousands of ca...

The Argus • 03/12/2024

Works has begun on £7 million pound expansion of hospital

Hospital colleagues were joined by invited guests and construction partners Morgan Sindall on November 22 to celebrate building works getting underway for a new urgent treatment centre. Known as UTCs, urgent treatment centres provide faster medical help for people when their condition is not life-threatening. They offer appointments via the NHS 111 service and are equipped to investigate, diagnose and treat the most common illnesses people come to A&E for. It was announced in the sum...