When two became one - story behind merger of Brighton and Hove

Draft proposals set out by the Local Government Commission for England in 1994, as part of plans to reform councils in East Sussex, originally recommended that Brighton remain its own authority, while Hove would merge with Adur and Worthing.

However, when conducting consultation about the plans, more than a quarter of people across Brighton and Hove supported a merger of the two towns - despite that suggestion not being an option at the time.

Surveys demonstrated the same sentiment, with a majority of responses to a poll by the Evening Argus backing a ‘unification’ of the two districts.

The merger was not universally popular among residents, however, with a poll conducted in October 1994 revealing that more than one in four respondents in Hove (28 per cent) opposed the prospect of unifying with their larger neighbour.

Although Hove Borough Council’s preference was to either remain as a separate council or merge with Adur, both Adur and Worthing’s councils expressed “significant opposition” to the prospect of such a merger and Hove’s population fell below a range to allow it to remain as a separate authority.

In the commission’s final recommendations, they called for a single council for Brighton and Hove - and the rest is history.

Since ‘unification’ 25 years ago, Brighton and Hove have undergone a range of changes - in particular being granted city status in January 2001.

Brighton and Hove Pride now attracts more than 250,000 people to the city every year

Events, such as the city’s Pride celebrations, have grown to become important dates in the country’s cultural calendar and Brighton and Hove have also developed a growing digital economy.

Brighton and Hove Albion also recovered from relegation and the loss of its former home at Goldstone Ground, with a new stadium opening in 2011 and entering the Premier League in 2016.

With its title as the unofficial ‘gay capital of the UK’, the city celebrated some of the UK’s first same-sex civil partnerships in 2005 and some of the country’s first same-sex marriages ten years later.

The city became the centre of a political earthquake after electing the first (and so far only) Green MP in 2010, and the first Green-led council a year later.

Brighton and Hove’s seafront has undergone change over the years, with the temporary appearance of the Brighton Wheel and the controversial construction of the i360.

The West Pier was destroyed by a suspected arson attack in 2003

However, Madeira Terrace has fallen into a state of disrepair, whilst decades-long hopes of restoring the West Pier were dashed after a suspected arson attack gutted the remains of the pier in 2003, with its metal framework remains used for laser artworks and drawings in recent years.