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The Brighton i360 is set to host the RSPCA's annual charity fun day after the initial venue was deemed unusable due to heavy rainfall.
Plans to open a commercial dog walking field near Exceat in the South Downs National Park has received objections.
Scammers are pretending to be council workers and are targeting tenants in Brighton.
A restaurant in Hove that was recently fined for illegal workers has closed
A pub landlord from Brighton has been found guilty of sexual assault.
Making the healthy choice the easy choiceBy Caroline Vass, Director of Public Health Every year my annual report offers a chance to reflect honestly on the health of our city and to set out what we must do next together.This year I chose to focus on healthy weight. It is an issue that touches every part of life in Brighton & Hove - from how our children grow, to how we move through the city, to the food we can afford and access.As reported in our citywide health and wellbeing survey Health Counts 2024, just 37% of adults in Brighton & Hove describe themselves as a healthy weight. A further 36% are overweight and 25% are obese. These are not just statistics – they translate into a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and poor mental health for thousands of residents.For children the story is just as concerning. While most of our younger pupils enter primary school at a healthy weight, this reduces by the end of Year 6, and the trend over time is worsening: falling from 73% as a healthy weight in 2016/17 to 70% in 2023/24, with sharper declines in our most deprived neighbourhoods.So, what can we do? The good news is that Brighton & Hove has a strong foundation of good practice, which we can build upon to improve our healthy weight. Our breastfeeding rates are around 20% higher than the national average, thanks to years of partnership work between health visitors, maternity services, and community groups.Many of our early years’ settings are improving their food offers and embedding active play in daily routines. But we know that support must reach everyone, not only those already well connected to services.In the coming year we will place particular emphasis on reaching families in Moulsecoomb, Bevendean, Whitehawk, and other parts of the city where inequalities are deepest. By embedding the UNICEF UK’s Baby Friendly approach across all early years’ settings, we can give every child the healthiest possible start in life.Schools are also central to this agenda. Some are already showing what can be achieved through whole-school food policies that cover everything from snacks and lunchboxes to how celebrations are organised.Others are leading the way on promoting active travel and re-designing playgrounds to encourage movement.Our task now is to support every school to meet the same high standard, so that no child misses out on healthy, affordable, sustainable meals and the joy of daily physical activity.Increasing uptake of free school meals is a particularly urgent priority. We know that too many families who are eligible are not applying, often because of stigma or uncertainty. Changing that will make a real difference both to children’s nutrition and to family budgets.We must also look beyond education settings. Workplaces play a huge role in shaping daily habits, and I am encouraged that a number of employers in the city are already championing healthier food choices and encouraging staff to walk, cycle, and move more during the day.But this is still the exception, not the rule. Our ambition is for Brighton & Hove to become a city of “healthy workplaces,” where businesses of every size - from small cafés to our largest institutions - make it easier for staff and customers alike to choose well.We will explore new schemes and provide more practical support, particularly for smaller employers who want to do the right thing but lack the resources to act alone.Perhaps the most visible part of this agenda is our shared environment. Planning policy already limits the density of hot food takeaways in certain areas, but we know that unhealthy outlets are still more concentrated in our most deprived communities.We are mapping advertising of high fat, salt and sugar products across the city, with the aim of reducing exposure, especially for children.Our active travel rates are already among the highest in the country, with around a third of adults walking or cycling three times a week, but there is more to do to make those journeys safe, accessible, and appealing for all ages.The Let’s Get Moving Strategy provides a framework for this, linking up public spaces, schools, and workplaces so that physical activity becomes woven into everyday life rather than an optional extra.The annual report is not the final word but a starting point. Over the coming months my team will work with schools, early years providers, businesses, community organisations and residents themselves to put these recommendations into practice. Success will not be measured in glossy strategies but in whether more of us feel able to eat well, move more, and live free from the health conditions linked to excess weight.Brighton & Hove has always been a city willing to try new things and to lead by example. We can create a city where the healthy choice really is the easy choice, for everyone.
A man has fallen from a hot air balloon near Wisborough Green.
A man has fallen from a hot air balloon near Wisborough Green.
RNLI Eastbourne rescue services were called to search for a missing elderly person near Pevensey Bay, East Sussex, alongside police.
A fight erupted in a car park in Shoreham.