New business board to give Brighton companies a bigger say in Sussex economic plans
Businesses across Brighton and Sussex are set to have a greater say in major economic decisions after a new Business Advisory Board was approved by the Sussex & Brighton Strategic Authority.
The new board will bring together up to 15 senior business leaders from different sectors, company sizes and parts of the region.
Its role will be to advise the Strategic Authority on economic strategy, investment, business support and attracting companies to Sussex.
The authority said the board will also play a key role in developing its Prosperity Strategy and forthcoming Local Growth Plan.
Brighton businesses to have a stronger voice
The creation of the board comes as Brighton and the wider Sussex region take on greater responsibility for planning future economic growth.
Importantly for businesses in Brighton & Hove, the chair of the new Business Advisory Board will have an associate seat on the Strategic Authority's own board.
That means business representatives will have a direct route into discussions about investment and economic policy.
The authority says it wants the board to reflect the diversity of the local economy, rather than focusing solely on large companies.
For Brighton, that could mean representation from the city's established creative, digital, hospitality, retail and professional-services sectors alongside larger employers.
Investment and jobs among key priorities
The new board is being created at a time when the region is preparing to make decisions about significant new investment.
The Sussex & Brighton Strategic Authority has already secured access to £117 million in initial government funding over the next four years, as part of a wider £1.14 billion allocation over 30 years.
The authority says its emerging economic strategy will focus on attracting investment, creating good local jobs, improving connectivity and supporting economic growth.
For Brighton companies, decisions around how that money is used could affect everything from infrastructure and business support to skills and access to new markets.
A changing role for Brighton in the regional economy
The new board is another sign that Brighton's economy is increasingly being considered as part of a wider Sussex economic region.
The city already has a strong concentration of newer businesses. Research published earlier this year placed Brighton at the top of a UK ranking for the concentration of "new economy" businesses, with 36.9 such firms per 10,000 residents.
The challenge will now be turning that entrepreneurial activity into sustained investment, jobs and growth.
The Business Advisory Board is expected to provide advice as the Strategic Authority develops its longer-term economic plans.
For Brighton's business community, the new structure could provide an opportunity to influence decisions that will shape the city's economy for years to come.
