Sussex And The City

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,...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #40 Why The Sussex Plan Doesn't Yet Add Up Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Peter Lamb MP – Member of Parliament for Crawley 🔍 Episode summary Local government in Sussex is on the brink of its biggest structural change in decades. Councils may be merged, boundaries redrawn, and a new mayoral authority introduced - but what does that actually mean in practice?...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #38 Universities, Knowledge And The Future Of Sussex Prosperity (Part One) Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Joanna Havers - Associate Director for Knowledge Exchange, University of Brighton 🔍 Episode summary Universities are often discussed in terms of teaching and research. But there is a third role that is becoming increasingly important: knowledge exchange...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #37 Can Dolphins Be A Symbol Of A Prosperous Future Sussex? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Lloyd Gofton – Director, Sussex Dolphin Project 🔍 Episode summary Richard is joined by Lloyd Gofton, ocean communications specialist, conservation leader and Director of the Sussex Dolphin Project. Together they explore how dolphins have become more than a remarkable...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #36 From Vineyards To Data Labs - Don't Underestimate Sussex' Rural Economy Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Jeremy Kerswell – Principal & Chief Executive, Plumpton College   🔍 Episode summary Richard is joined by Jeremy Kerswell, Principal and Chief Executive of Plumpton College, one of the UK's last remaining independent specialist land-based colleges, set...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #35 Growing A Global Business In Sussex Could Be So Much Easier Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Matt Barker – Founder & CEO, MPB 🔍 Episode summary Richard is joined by Matt Barker , founder and chief executive of MPB , one of Sussex's biggest global business success stories - built from modest roots in Brighton and now operating at serious international scal...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #34 Devolution Is Only As Local As It Feels Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Cllr Julia Hilton – Deputy Leader, Hastings Borough Council 🔍 Episode summary Richard is joined by Cllr Julia Hilton, Deputy Leader of Hastings Borough Council and one of Sussex's most outspoken voices on local government reorganisation and devolution. Julia brings a fiercely place-b...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 33: Devolution Can Make Us More 'Sussex'. But It Is A Big Leadership Challenge Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP – Secretary of State for Business and Trade; MP for Hove & Portslade 🔍 Episode summary This episode opens a new year and a new series of Sussex And The City , recorded at a moment of political shift but strategic acceleration. R...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 32: EMERGENCY PODCAST! Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Martin Webb, independent candidate for Mayor of Sussex & Brighton   No Sussex mayor until 2028 The government is set to delay the first elections for newly created regional mayors in four areas - Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, Hampshire and the Solent, and Sussex and Brighton. The BBC reports that ba...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 31: Why I Want To Be Mayor (Part Five)  Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Martin Webb, independent candidate for Mayor of Sussex & Brighton 🔍 Episode summary In this wide-ranging conversation, Richard sits down with Martin Webb — a man whose CV could easily be many separate careers. Martin was a defining figure in Brighton's 90s and 00s nightlife, running club...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 30: Opportunity In Sussex Starts With Being Seen Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Donna O'Toole — founder of August Recognition; co-founder of Rewards App 🔍 Episode summary In this week's episode, Richard meets Donna O'Toole - multi-award-winning entrepreneur, awards strategist and lifelong Sussex resident - whose journey from Arundel Castle to global busines...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 29: Sussex Money Matters: Tackling Debt And Building Trust Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Emma Norledge - Deputy CEO, Wave Community Bank 🔍 Episode summary What if the future of devolution wasn't just about power – but about money that stays in Sussex? In this episode, Richard Freeman talks to Emma Norledge , Deputy Chief Executive of Wave Community Bank, a...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 28: Why Sussex Needs To Look After Its Shopkeepers Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Shiv Misra - founder of Kindly 🔍 Episode summary In this episode, Richard Freeman talks with Shiv Misra, founder of Kindly, a Brighton homegrown supermarket with a difference; fair prices, no plastic, and no gimmicks. Shiv's story is one of grit, optimism and retail reform, bu...

The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 27: Is Art Sussex' Civic Superpower? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Lesley Samms - founder of Pure Arts Group 🔍 Episode summary In this conversation, Richard Freeman sits down with artist mentor, curator and Pure Arts Group founder Lesley Samms – a powerhouse advocate for visual artists across Sussex and beyond. Lesley shares her journey from leaving behind...