DAVID TUTT, LEADER OF EBC: Opposition to university’s plans to leave town

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the shock announcement by the University of Brighton, that it plans to move out of Eastbourne and concentrate all of its activities upon the Brighton campus.
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This news, which came out of the blue, was followed by a period of public consultation which ended last week.

The university occupies a vast number of buildings and sporting facilities in Meads and if it leaves, I believe that this will have a very negative impact on the town.

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I therefore responded strongly to the consultation, opposing the plans. I pointed out:

•The economic impact that this will have, not only in terms of the money that the students spend locally, but also the number of people who rely either directly or indirectly on the University for their employment. This includes all of those who work for businesses that supply them with goods and services.

• The change that this will bring in terms of the age demographics to the town, as 1,500 predominantly young students move to Brighton.

• The lack of clarity over the future of the sporting facilities if the university continue with their plans. Many of these were formerly part of Chelsea College and not only serve the students but also provide an excellent programme for the over 60s in the town.

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In meetings with representatives of the university, it states clearly that it must put the students first, but I would question whether these proposals do that.

The cost of living in Brighton is much higher than in Eastbourne and if the university wishes to be inclusive, it needs to take into account those from the east of the county, (not just Eastbourne) who can attend courses here by way of daily travel, but for whom Brighton would be too distant.

Eastbourne Borough Council is not the only organisation to oppose these plans.

All the Liberal Democrat county councillors representing the town spoke at a meeting of the Lead Member for Economy at East Sussex and I am grateful to Councillor Rupert Simmons for adding the weight of East Sussex County Council to this cause.

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Team East Sussex (TES), which is a group of local councils, businesses and community bodies, has also called for the Eastbourne campus to be retained.

The decision is now in the hands of those who run the university, but I hope that they will see the wisdom and benefits of retaining a wider geographical base for their activities.

Stay safe!