Sussex And The City

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #64 What Would A Sussex Housebuilding Revolution Actually Take? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Donna Cezair – Chief Executive, Worthing Homes 🔍 Episode summary Sussex has a housing crisis. That is easy to agree on. Thousands of households are waiting for social housing, living in temporary accommodation or trying to survive in a private housing market that...

The Sussex And The City Podcast Episode 63 Sussex Could Become A Global Nature Recovery Hotspot Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Rob Alcroft – co-founder of Wayforward 🔍 Episode summary This is a conversation we recorded more than a year ago. Oddly, it feels more relevant now than it did then. Back in July 2025, Sussex devolution was still largely something we talked about in the future tense. One of...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #62 Why Sussex And Hampshire May Need Each Other Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Hannah Lazell – political and public affairs consultant and former Local Government Association adviser 🔍 Episode summary For someone growing up in Havant in Hampshire, as Hannah Lazell did, Portsmouth (Hampshire) and Chichester (West Sussex) were simply two nearby places you we...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #61 What Political Shake-ups Mean For Sussex Host: Richard Freeman Guest: John Milne MP – Liberal Democrat MP for Horsham 🔍 Episode summary This conversation was recorded when the argument about local government reorganisation in Sussex was mostly about what shape the new councils would take. Since then, the argument has changed. The Government has paused...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #58 Can Chichester Become A Laboratory For The Future? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Dr Catja de Haas – architect, urbanist and co-founder of Chichester Laboratory 🔍 Episode summary Sussex is being encouraged to think bigger. One strategic authority. Sussex-wide approaches to growth, housing, transport and prosperity. Decisions that previously sat within i...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #59 Maybe We Should Stop Consulting Young People, And Give Them Some Power Instead Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Adam Muirhead – Director of Youth Work Services, Trust for Developing Communities 🔍 Episode summary Sussex devolution is a 'once-in-a-generation opportunity'. But for which generation? If the decisions being made now will shape housing, transpor...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #58 Small Boats Aren't Sussex's Real Immigration Story Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Laura Charge – Immigration Consultant and former Home Office immigration specialist 🔍 Episode summary For all the heat around immigration, the national debate has become remarkably narrow. Small boats, asylum hotels and border control dominate the conversation. But look at...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #57 The Global Medtech Story Hiding In Sussex Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Tim Rose – UK General Manager, Elekta 🔍 Episode summary Does Sussex really understand the scale of the businesses, technologies and expertise already operating here? Sussex is often described as a small business economy; a place of SMEs, freelancers, independents and microbusinesse...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #56 The Letter That Started This Whole Devolution Conversation Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Chris Hare – historian, writer, community educator 🔍 Episode summary This episode goes back to where Sussex And The City effectively began. Well over a year before this episode was released, Worthing historian Chris Hare distributed an open letter to thousands of l...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #55 The TikTok Influencer Making Sense Of Sussex Devolution Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Charlotte (@thatisnewstome) – Political content creator 🔍 Episode summary Can TikTok explain local government reorganisation better than official comms teams? As England undergoes its biggest programme of local government reform in half a century, it is likely that yo...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #54 The Case For Neighbourhood Power Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Ross Mudie – Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) 🔍 Episode summary In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with Ross Mudie from the  Independent Commission on Neighbourhoods (ICON) about some of the biggest questions facing Sussex as local government is reorganised and a new may...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #53 "You Can't Just Slide This Under The Mat And Say, 'Oh, We're Just Going To Do This, And Nobody's Going To Notice.'" Host: Richard Freeman Guests: Irene, Graham, Alan and Alexandra - Members of Hop 50+ at Impact Initiatives 🔍 Episode summary In this special community edition of  Sussex And The City , Richard Freeman visits the Cornerstone Community Cen...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #52 Is Sussex Ready For The AI Economy? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Adam Stafford – Founder & CEO, Fresh Egg 🔍 Episode summary Artificial intelligence might be reshaping the Sussex labour market faster than education, government and business can adapt. Is this a priority for devolution? In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with Adam Stafford, founder...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #51 The Problem With One-Size-Fits-All Devolution Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Andrew Griffith MP – Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs; Shadow Secretary of State for Business and Trade 🔍 Episode summary Can one model of devolution work for every part of England? In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with Andrew Griffith MP about what devol...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #50 Can Place-Based Experiments Fix Broken Politics? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Polly Mackenzie – public policy thinker, former senior government adviser 🔍 Episode summary Can devolution do more than simply move power around? Could it fundamentally change how Britain solves problems? In this episode, Richard Freeman speaks with one of Britain's leading...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #49 What Sussex devolution means to a 20-year-old Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Joe Herd 🔍 Episode summary What does Sussex devolution look like through the eyes of someone who will live with its consequences for the next 50 years? Most Sussex And The City episodes feature politicians, academics, business leaders or public sector decision-makers. This conv...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #48 Universities, Knowledge and the Future of Sussex Prosperity (Part Two) Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Professor Sasha Roseneil – Vice-Chancellor, University of Sussex 🔍 Episode summary What role should universities play in the future of Sussex? As devolution reshapes local decision-making and the higher education sector faces mounting financial pressure...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #47 Why Sheep's Wool Might Be Sussex's Secret Innovation Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Mark Beaumont – Founder of Lanoguard, community entrepreneur and Newhaven advocate 🔍 Episode summary When people talk about Sussex's economic future, they often focus on Brighton, Gatwick, Crawley or the region's larger towns and cities. But what if one of Sussex's most...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #46 Why Devolution Should Help Build Better Digital Public Services Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Will Callaghan – Tech Resort / local government digital consultant   🔍  Episode summary Richard Freeman speaks with Will Callaghan, a public sector digital specialist and volunteer leader at Eastbourne-based Tech Resort, about digital exclusion, local governme...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #45 Where Does A National Park Fit Into Devolution? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Vanessa Rowlands – Chair, South Downs National Park Authority; Chair, National Parks England 🔍 Episode summary The South Downs National Park is one of Sussex's core systems for water, climate resilience, biodiversity, tourism, farming, health and long-term prosperity. Richard...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Bonus episode Andy Burnham in 2022: How A Mayor Measures Impact Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Andy Burnham – Mayor of Greater Manchester 🔍 Episode summary This special bonus episode goes back into the archive, sharing Richard Freeman's January 2022 interview with Andy Burnham, originally recorded for The Possibility Club . At the time, Burnham was already one of t...

The Sussex And The City podcast – Episode #43 Inside Brighton's Fight For The Future High Street Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Gavin Stewart – Chief Executive, Brilliant Brighton BID / Executive Director, Brighton Economic Growth Board 🔍 Episode summary Brighton and Hove has always had a complicated relationship with its own story. To some, it is one of the UK's most creative, entrepreneurial and...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #42 "The Antidote To Division Is Community" Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Kevin Richmond – former CEO, Sussex Community Foundation   🔍 Episode summary Sussex is full of wealth, talent, creativity and civic energy. It is also home to deep inequality, entrenched coastal deprivation, loneliness, mental health pressures and communities facing rising need. In t...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #41 Why Culture Should Be Infrastructure In A Devolved Sussex Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Louise Blackwell – producer, cultural strategist and founder of Creative Crawley 🔍 Episode summary Culture is often treated as the product of a vibrant place, and a thriving economy. A mural here, a festival there, something colourful once the serious work of housin...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #40 Most Of Sussex Is Countryside. But Who Speaks Up For It? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Paul Steedman – CPRE Sussex 🔍 Episode summary Chats about Sussex often jump straight to the coast, the cities, Gatwick, growth sectors or investment opportunities. But most of the county is not urban and not coastal. It is farmland, woodland, river systems, villages,...