Brighton is not a poor city
It has high-performing schools, a strong economy and some of the wealthiest people in the country. It is also one of the most divided cities in England.
The results are hard to ignore. For the life chances of children on Free School Meals, Brighton Kemptown & Peacehaven ranks 527th out of 543 constituencies. Only 4% of those children earn a degree by 22. Fewer than half are in stable work by 28.
But places with more child poverty, challenges and possibly less funding than Brighton get far better outcomes for their poorest children. Our kids are not poorer than theirs. They do worse anyway.
So this isn’t about our families. It’s about our city.
The review we fought for
In June 2025, 600 residents signed our letter calling for an independent review of inequality and life chances in Brighton & Hove. In October 2025 the council agreed. It’s the first review of its kind in the city, and what it recommends will shape decisions here for years to come.
The review is chaired by Polly Herbert, alongside a panel of residents with lived experience of hardship. Their survey takes a strengths-based approach, asking communities what’s good about where they live and what could be built on. That’s a fair choice. Places like Whitehawk are too often described only by what’s wrong with them.
But when we pushed for this review, we argued that it shouldn’t only ask people living with poverty about their lives. It should also look at the systems that shape those lives, and the people who run them. The review’s own guidance names “unequal power and voice” as one of the five drivers of inequality in the city. So we’re adding the other half of the picture.
If you work in a school, service or organisation in the city
This one is for you. If you work or volunteer in Brighton & Hove in a school, the council, health, housing, the police, a charity, the arts or a funder, we’d like to hear from you, whatever your role, from the frontline to the boardroom.
Our short survey asks how well the city’s organisations understand the lives of people on a low income, whether their experiences really shape decisions, and what gets in the way.
It’s anonymous and takes about five minutes. Please be honest. That’s the only way it’s useful.
Take Class Divide’s survey here
What you tell us will form a central part of Class Divide’s submission to the review. And if you know people in your organisation who should answer it, please send it to them.
If you want to take part in the councils survey
Fill in the council’s survey here: https://yourvoice.brighton-hove.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/inequality-and-life-chances-review-call-for-evidence
Prefer to talk? Join our online drop-in
On Tuesday 3 November, from 5 to 6pm, we’re holding an open online conversation about how people in this city are treated by those with power, whether you feel listened to, and whether the people making decisions understand your life. Everyone is welcome, so come along for as much of the hour as you can. With your permission, we’ll record it so we capture what’s said accurately.
Join the online drop-in here: https://meet.google.com/dqy-bdai-jnf
Please do one thing this week
If you work in a service, take our survey. Whoever you are, forward this to one person who should do the same.
We pushed for this review because Brighton’s children deserve better. Now let’s make sure it looks at the whole city, not just the edges of it.
