Brighton Pride asks businesses to help with clean up after event

Pride operations manager Jayne Babb told Brighton and Hove City Council licensing committee many businesses want to profit from the event but do not contribute or share responsibility.

One of the biggest expenses is the clean up.

Ms Babb said that many businesses in the St James’s Street area were already prepared to jetwash the street outside once the Pride Village Party is over.

A professional jetwashing service has already been commissioned by Pride for the areas around the public toilets.

This year Pride has launched its City Angels membership scheme for businesses.

In return for signing up, businesses will receive official window display material as well as listings on the official Brighton Pride website, social media and programme.

Member businesses are asked to keep the front of their business clean, tidy and litter free, as well as reporting hate crimes and supporting the LGBTQ community.

Ms Babb said: “It’s saying yes, have a great weekend, do what you’re going to do and be responsible about it.”

Councillor Jackie O’Quinn, who chairs the licensing committee, asked about toilets during a meeting at Hove Town Hall.

Ms Babb said that she spent much of Saturday night telling people off for using the streets and park as a toilet when there were plenty of toilets near by.

This year there will be more toilets in Preston Park as well as St James’s Street for the Pride Village Party.

Venues in the village party area are also asked to make their loos available to the public.

After publicity about rubbish on the beach, the Big Pride Beach clean is taking place on Sunday August 4.

There are three silent disco beach litter picks planned during the day as well as organised clean ups in East Street and Gardener Street.

In Preston Park and the Pride Pleasure Gardens at Old Steine, reusable cups will be available.

Next year Pride plans to have a commemorative cup, but did not have the time to set up the scheme this year.

Green councillor Marianna Ebel recommended setting up a deposit scheme for cups as this would be an incentive for people to return them.

Rubbish and recycling schemes are in place and will be sorted on site.

Traders are being asked to sell drinks in cans rather than plastic bottles. Visitors are asked to bring their own refillable bottles with water taps on site.

Ms Babb said that she had liaised with a couple of dozen organisations and venues in the St James’s Street area over temporary late licences during the Pride Village Party.

She said: “As Pride has responsibly for the area, we need to be sure we know what is going on when it’s going on.

“All the external activities are by the venues but my team work across the whole site for the weekend to make sure the venues do what they are supposed to do and don’t stretch the boundaries.”

Pride boosts the city’s economy by more than £20 million and raised £750,000 for good causes.

Community groups, charities and sports clubs across the city received grants totalling £45,000 from Pride’s Social Impact Fund.

These included £500 for the Patcham Duck Fayre, £1,000 for Bev Fest and £1,000 for the Norfolk Square Group.

Also in 2018, £145,481 in grants went to LGBT+ and HIV groups from the Rainbow Fund.