Civic Life · 3 min read
Work, Economic Activity and Homeworking After the Pandemic
Use census and later official evidence to distinguish employment status, occupation, workplace and travel-to-work patterns.
Read the storyIndependent city recordBrighton · Hove · PortsladeEdition 001 / 2026
THE ARCHIVE
The complete city collection
History, neighbourhoods, civic explainers and environmental stories — independently researched and organised for unhurried reading.
Coast & Environment · 3 min read
Storm Overflows, Heavy Rain and Coastal Water: How to Read the Data
Show what event-duration monitoring records, what it cannot prove by itself and where water-quality evidence fits.
Read the storyTransport & Infrastructure · 3 min read
School Streets: How Timed Restrictions Work
Explain the legal restrictions, exemptions, safety aims and evidence used to review each scheme.
Read the storyCivic Life · 3 min read
Best Start in Life: The 2026–2029 Plan for Early Childhood
Summarise how maternity, family, health and education services aim to improve outcomes from pregnancy to age five.
Read the storyCivic Life · 3 min read
From Application to Decision: How Local Planning Works
Explain validation, consultation, officer recommendations, committee decisions and appeals in plain English.
Read the storyArchitecture & Conservation · 3 min read
Bow Windows, Balconies and the Architecture of Looking Out
Explore how seaward views, light and social display shaped Brighton and Hove’s domestic fronts.
Read the storyHistory & Heritage · 3 min read
Copperas Gap and Portslade’s Ancient Shoreline
Use geological finds and historic maps to explain a coastal landscape largely concealed by later development.
Read the storyHistory & Heritage · 3 min read
St Andrew’s Old Church and the Revival of Hove Village
Trace the ancient church, its period of decline and its restoration amid nineteenth-century expansion.
Read the storyHistory & Heritage · 3 min read
Sheep, Corn and the Downland Economy
Show how grazing, arable farming and drove routes sustained the settlements that later became the city.
Read the storyCivic Life · 3 min read
Renting, Owning and Social Housing: The Tenure Map
Show how housing tenure varies across the city and why tenure is relevant to affordability and public services.
Read the storyCoast & Environment · 3 min read
Beachy Head West Marine Conservation Zone Explained
Introduce protected habitats and species offshore and explain what designation changes in practice.
Read the storyTransport & Infrastructure · 3 min read
Vision Zero and the City’s Road-Casualty Record
Set official casualty trends against the commitment to eliminate fatal and serious road harm.
Read the storyCivic Life · 3 min read
Applying for a School Place in 2026/27
Give a neutral guide to admission rounds, preferences, published numbers, allocation and appeals.
Read the storyCivic Life · 3 min read
Following the Money: Brighton & Hove’s 2026/27 Council Budget
Break down the approved spending plan, major pressures and savings while separating recurring and capital expenditure.
Read the storyArchitecture & Conservation · 3 min read
Bungaroosh: The Unlikely Fabric of Brighton
Describe the mixed walling material, why it was widely used and the challenges it creates for repair.
Read the storyHistory & Heritage · 3 min read
Foredown Hill: Isolation, Public Health and Observation
Trace the hilltop site from infectious-disease provision to its later educational and community roles.
Read the storyHistory & Heritage · 3 min read
Manors, Farms and Landholding in Old Hove
Show how estates and agricultural parcels determined the routes and plots of the later town.
Read the storyHistory & Heritage · 3 min read
The Wellesbourne: Brighton’s Lost Stream
Trace the seasonal watercourse from Patcham through the Steine and explain why it was eventually culverted.
Read the storyCivic Life · 3 min read
Housing Affordability and Deprivation: Two Maps of Inequality
Compare official affordability and deprivation measures while warning that neither is a complete measure of household hardship.
Read the storyCoast & Environment · 3 min read
The Rare Vegetated-Shingle Habitat on the Urban Beach
Explain how specialist plants survive a harsh shoreline and why maintenance must account for protected habitat.
Read the storyTransport & Infrastructure · 3 min read
Speed Limits, Traffic Orders and Enforcement: Who Controls What
Clarify the respective roles of the council, police, courts and national law in managing road behaviour.
Read the storyCivic Life · 3 min read
Falling Pupil Numbers and the Future School Estate
Explain the demographic and financial pressures behind changes to admission numbers and school-capacity planning.
Read the storyCivic Life · 3 min read
What Council Tax Pays For in Brighton & Hove
Follow a council-tax bill across city services and the separate police, fire and parish precepts.
Read the storyArchitecture & Conservation · 3 min read
Flint Walls From Downland Field to City Street
Trace local flint from agricultural boundary material to a defining feature of churches, cottages and public buildings.
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