Elephants, boilers and other stories (#10)
TL;DR of local press and stories from Brighton and surrounding areas.
News
After two petitions and more than 13,000 signatures about keeping the public toilets open, the Green councillors finally identified alternative funding sources. Here is the council press release on the proposal on how to spend its £800 million budget, and here you can find fancy infographics about how the budget is spent. Several services will be cut affecting for example Lifeguard stations and libraries, see a summary here. The council blames primarily the government cuts suffered over the last 13 years, together with the increase of inflation and prices. But the public toilets are safe, at least for now.
You are still on time to go on a Valentine’s Day dinner date at the Brighton i360. Although you probably missed the chance to go at the Sea Life Brighton dinner event.
Voting is now open for the 2023 Brighton Restaurants Awards Vote Online!
The mayor and a few councillors announced that they are stepping down ahead of the May 2024 election. By the way, due to the Elections Act 2022 you now need to bring a photo ID such as a driving licence or a passport in order to vote. If you don’t have a photo ID, make sure you get a ‘Voter Authority Certificate’ beforehand.
Renovation works recently began at the Brighton Hippodrome, and here are a few pictures of the backstage.
We highly recommend the documentary about Fatboy Slim and the historic Big Beach Boutique concert in July 2002. For the occasion the full-length live recording of the event has also been released. Part of the interview with Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim was shot at his Big Beach Cafe at the Hove Lagoon, which we also recommend visiting.
Have you lost an elephant in Gatwick airport?
A 100-year old sixteen-ton steam engine in working order, housed at the British Engineerium, has been auctioned and sold for about £21k. Buyer to collect.
An interesting report covering the investment plans for the sports facilities in Brighton & Hove. In the meantime, repair work started at King Alfred Leisure Center to fix the broken boilers.
The phase 1 of Madeira Terrace restoration is ongoing, with extra temporary support being installed on 40 arches. In other news, funding for phase 2 (i.e. for more arches to be renovated) is currently uncertain since the government rejected the funding bid. It wasn’t the only funding bid for the Greater Brighton area to be rejected.
In case you are wondering what’s going on with that big building site in London Road, a five-storey student house is being built.
Snacks and the City
Saltdean Fish Bar
This week’s review is brought to you by the cost-of-living crisis
A rite of passage for any Brighton food critic is sampling every chip shop in the city, then forming a strong opinion about which is best. With that said, Ocean Fish Bar in Whitehawk is the best. But Saltdean Fish Bar is easily in my top three. The chips are a good balance of fluffy and crispy, with generous portions and a decent chip-to-scrap ratio. The curry sauce is rich and warmly spiced and the mushy peas are well-seasoned and well-mushed. The vegetarian offering isn’t as comprehensive as other fried potato outlets so, if you’re a veggie like me, you may have to BYO egg. However, my pescatarian companions assure me the fish is fresh, crispy, and grease-free.
7/10
Cryptic crossword
Solution to crossword in issue #9.
Music
“Brighton’s very own Brit/NME/Kerrang! Award winning and Mercury Prize nominated adopted sons Royal Blood have announced an ‘On The Beach’ concert which is to take place on Brighton Beach on Saturday 29th July 2023 from 2pm – Watch the promo video HERE. […]
Keeping it local, Royal Blood represent the best of Brighton’s homegrown talent – with the Worthing duo breaking international boundaries way back when their self-titled debut album reached pole chart positions on both sides of the Atlantic. Since then, the band have continued to dominate both charts and festivals across the globe, and have quickly become an iconic mainstay in the rock scene.”
History corner
“Brighton & Hove [Golf Club] was one of the pioneer clubs in the golf boom in the last 25 years of the nineteenth century. There is a dispute between Royal Eastbourne, Seaford and Brighton & Hove regarding who is the oldest club. We were founded in the autumn of 1887 but our first competition was in 1888, while Royal Eastbourne’s was in 1886 and Seaford’s in 1887. This is why Royal Eastbourne claims seniority. However, we can claim to be playing on the oldest course: a group of golfers, including H.J. Percival, who was Secretary from 1894 to 1918, attempted to start a club in 1875 on the site of our course. The club was founded following the creation of the railway branch from Brighton to the Dyke in 1887 and a stop for the golf club was built in 1891. The original 9 holes were similar to today’s. The club became popular and when the course was extended to 18 holes in 1891, membership soon reached the limit of 375. All were men; a separate 9 hole Ladies club was formed and built near the Devils Dyke in 1891. Brighton & Hove was recognised as a testing downland course and attracted good golfers. Brighton being fashionable as an Autumn resort, the club flourished in the Edwardian era. Membership was predominately from the professional classes and the club retained its reputation until after the second World War.”
