More than 5,300 businesses and 54,000 jobs have been brought into Greater Brighton after Arun District Council was welcomed as a member of the region.
The Council joins six other local authorities, influential business partnerships, two universities, Gatwick Airport and the South Downs National Park in forming a powerful collective aiming to increase investment and make its voice heard in Government.
The Greater Brighton Economic Board has now voted to have Arun join bringing another 159,000 people under its umbrella.
Leader of Arun District Council, Cllr Dr James Walsh, said:
“We are delighted to become part of the Greater Brighton region and help contribute to the growing success it has had in bringing in funding for major projects and helping to create jobs and prosperity.”
“Arun has plans for 20,000 new homes, 74 hectares of employment space and a good track record of delivery. We have a progressive approach to development and pipeline projects and firmly believe we can make a significant contribution to the economy of the city region.”
Stretching for 86 square miles Arun includes the towns of Arundel, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton with key employment sectors including tourism, advanced manufacturing and horticulture. Companies in Arun include Rolls Royce, Body Shop and Butlins.
The addition of Arun increases the number of jobs in Greater Brighton by 12 per cent to around 529,000. However Arun has some development needs that being part of a city region can help such as low wages and low employment rates. More than 40 per cent of its workforce travels outside the district for work.
Greater Brighton works to attract investment for the entire region offering investors a wide range of opportunities, work skills and lifestyles. It has brought in £160m of funding for projects across the region.
The chairman of Greater Brighton, Cllr Daniel Humphreys, said:
“I’m delighted to welcome Arun District Council to the city region. The Council was keen to join because they, like we, see the benefits of working together to improve the economies of our places because investment doesn’t recognise council boundaries.”
“The addition of Arun adds to the offer we can make as a city region but we also have a lot in common with our mix of economies and our ambitions to create even greater opportunities for our residents to thrive. Greater Brighton has just got a lot stronger with an even more powerful voice.”
Arun is just the latest organisation to join Greater Brighton following on from Crawley Borough Council and Gatwick Airport last year.
