By Emily Sargent and Lalage Wordsworth
The British economy has struck gold thanks to the boom generated by sales of Olympics tickets.
20 per cent of the overall growth of Britain’s economy announced this morning has been attributed to Olympics and Paralympics ticket sales. Read the rest of this entry »
By Mathew Beech
Two safety conscious cyclists riding along Brighton seafront. Credit: Mathew Beech
Hundreds of cyclists have been injured and five killed on Brighton’s roads over the last five years as new figures reveal accident black spots in the city.
Figures published by the Office of National Statistics show there have been 850 accidents between 2005 and 2010, with the palace Pier roundabout proving to be the most dangerous section of road.
This junction sees Marine Parade, Madeira Drive, Grand Junction Road and the A23 converge, and caused 129 accidents, 23 resulting in injuries to the cyclists.
Ian Essex, chairman of the Brighton Excelsior Cycling Club, told the Argus: “From my experience on some of the roads in Brighton the figures don’t surprise me but it is still shocking.”
The second most dangerous spot for bike-riders is the Lewes Road/Coombe Road junction, where 18 people were injured in 83 accidents. Read the rest of this entry »
By Mathew Beech
Credit: Vytauto
The RSPB has revealed that the much-loved Starling and House Sparrow are fast disappearing from our gardens.
Results from the Big Garden Birdwatch 2012, which took place at the start of the year, have shown a near 80 per cent fall in the number of Starlings people are spotting.
The population of the birds is feared to have fallen to less than a third of what it was thirty years ago, while numbers of the House Sparrow have also shown a dramatic fall.
RSPB scientist Mark Eaton said: “The unmistakable flash of the glossy purple green starling is a familiar sight for many, but sadly it seems their numbers have dropped even further in this year’s survey.
“We’ve been monitoring this decline and encouraging people to step up and help birds like starlings but we will also be conducting some scientific research into the exact reasons for these declines. Read the rest of this entry »
Chancellor fo the Exchequer, George Osborne.
Credit: Mholland
Mention the 2012 Budget to most people, and it’s unlikely to conjure excitement, but at the very least you might expect it to hold a certain morbid fascination. After all, when George Osborne and his colleagues squeeze the country’s spending and tinker with taxation, it’s we who are affected. But judging by the reactions of Brighton residents, it seems that a climate of despondency fostered by a prevailing economic insecurity means most people are not even interested in reading it.
Although many were unaware of the finer (some might say confusing) details of the document, there was a general perception that it is weighted unfairly, penalising the middle-classes and the vulnerable without even delivering the support to businesses that had been promised. Read the rest of this entry »
By Evie Purves
With most of the budget provisions leaked over the past few days, there were few surprises in Chancellor George Osborne’s speech.
Unsurprisingly, the top rate of income tax has now been cut from 50p to 45p which will come into effect in April 2013, meaning that millionaires will effectively pay less tax.
The HMRC found that after reviewing the effectiveness of the 50p tax rate, it has caused “massive distortions” and only raised one third of the £3bn which was their target.
But workers earning £20,000 a year would be £253 worse off from April, and families on the minimum wage who were unable to work more than 16 hours would lose nearly £4,000 as a result of changes to tax credit rules.
George Osborne says the treasury will receive “five times more money each and every year from the wealthiest in our society”. The UK economy is set to grow much quicker this year than previously forecast.
Andrew Goodwin, senior economic adviser to the Ernst & Young ITEM Club has said this was “generally a steady, but business-friendly, Budget.”
But others strongly disagree, calling it “a budget for the rich” and stating that it is “outrageous”.
The chancellor also introduced a surprise penalty tax rate of 15% on properties held in offshore companies to avoid stamp duty as well as increasing stamp duty on homes costing more than £2 million.
Despite the rich being made richer, it seems that pensioners are being hit hardest. Osborne’s announcement to freeze the pensioner’s tax allowance will leave four million pensioners £83 a year worse off by 2014. Despite this, the chancellor still insisted that no one would be losing any money.
This new scheme will save the Treasury £360 million next year, £670 million in 2014, £1 billion in 2015 and £1.25 billion in 2016.
The blow to pensioners comes after it emerged this month that the cost of living for the UK’s 10.6 million pensioners has risen by a third since 2000.
The average retired couple spends £17,922 a year to live, up from around £13,500 at the turn of the Millennium.
Ed Miliband – leader of the opposition has dubbed the new budget as “a budget for millionaires” The Labour leader attacked the budget as “unfair, out of touch, for the few not the many”. It was based on the “wrong choices, wrong priorities, wrong values” from the “same old Tories”.
Landlord Jake Kelly says the budget is “ridiculous” and now has to cut his own staff hours “to be able to afford to keep this small pub open”.
Miliband snubbed the Tories budget plan and said “This budget will be remembered for its failure on growth and jobs and the top rate tax cut” and added: “Today marks the end of ‘we are all in it together’.”
Photo By Loz Flowers
By Ian Walker
This year, the county cricket season will make it’s earliest ever start, the first fixture being played on April 5th, with many of the top players across the league still out with international fixtures.
Sussex County Cricket has begun their pre season schedule, this week announcing the 15- man squad due to travelling to Dubai. The squad will again be led by Michael Yardy this year, as they look to better their 5th place finish of 2011.
Head coach Mark Robinson, Shrewd and popular former Sussex medium-pacer will again be leading the squad this year. The man still holds the world record for 12 first-class ducks in a row, has been at the reins for seven years and is regarded as one of the best up and coming coaches.
A breadth of new additions this year to the one day squad, former Essex all rounder Scott Styris has joined the 2012 Friends Life T20 campaign.
Star all rounder Luke Wright, who missed out on most of last season with a knee injury, will also miss the start of this season after signing for IPL outfit Pune Warriors.
Despite star bowler Monty Panesar missing the first few games due to responsibilities with the England squad in West Indies, he will return to grace the PROBIZ ground once again.
Prediction for 2012: Fifth in Division One: Sussex lost an entire seam attack in Martin-Jenkins, Kirtley, Collymore and Arafat back in 2010. They more than coped last year by exceeding prediction and finishing a solid 5th.
A strong spin-bowling attack featuring the prolific Monty Panesar and the leg-spinner Will Beer should again cause havoc at the wicket.
Meanwhile England keeper and all rounder Matt Prior along with newcomer Scott Styris should bring a much needed new dynamic to Sussex batting.
Credit: deltaalpha24
The Fire Kills campaign is urging people to make a potentially life-saving move when they change their clocks on the weekend of Sunday, March 25 – by taking a moment to test their smoke alarms too.
Their hard hitting advertising campaign, released this week, reminds people that there’s more at stake than the noise when you forget to test your smoke alarm – with a tagline stating “We all lose an hour’s sleep this weekend – make sure you don’t lose a lot more”
A working smoke alarm can buy you valuable time to get out, stay out and call 999. But just half of all householders who own a smoke alarm say that they test that it’s working on a regular basis. Read the rest of this entry »
By Jodhi Doherty
The Saltdean lido is an iconic art-deco outdoor pool with terrace and sundeck and even though its cool outdoor waters may not be – the debate surrounding the 1930s attraction is hot.
For the past two years, protests to Brighton and Hove council have been heard from residents from Saltdean Community Association and the Save Saltdean Lido campaign highlighting how the 125-year-old lease should be removed from the hands of Dennis Audley, Buckingshire-based leaseholder.
Campaigners have accused the leaseholder Mr Audley of not maintaining the centre or parts of the lease by not opening on certain days.
Mr Audley told The Argus newspaper: “It has been very difficult the last few years. All the publicity has destroyed our business. We’re still working towards an enabling development”.
Mr Audley is not planning on giving up just yet but Rebecca Crook, the chairman of Save Saltdean Lido also told The Argus: “We have always said that we are in this for the long-term and will not stop campaigning until the lease is handed to the community – its rightful owners”. Read the rest of this entry »
By David Windsor
Credit: Warren christmas
Brighton maintained their unbeaten start to 2012 with a 2-2 draw against fellow promotion hopefuls Cardiff City last night.
With time running out in front of a nervous Amex crowd, it was left to Sam Vokes to plaster his name across the headlines and keep Brighton in touch of the top six by prodding home from close range.
The relief around the stadium was palpable and the draw leaves Brighton as the only unbeaten English club this calendar year, a statistic that they will be keen to preserve as the Championship enters the business end of the season. Read the rest of this entry »
By Ian Walker
Without a win in two games, Gus Poyet’s Brighton are hungry to get back to their winning ways. Saturday sees the Seagulls taking on bottom of the league, Portsmouth; fans will be looking for a similar result to the away fixture, considering Portsmouth’s poor form this season.
No new team news ahead of Saturday’s southern stand off, Brighton are still anticipating the return of full-back Marcos Painter who is steadily on the mend after his hamstring injury put him out 18 weeks ago. Meanwhile, Spanish midfielder Vicente Rodriguez is still short of match fitness however could return depending on training this weekend. Midfielder Gary Dicker is edging slowly back to fitness and could also feature at the Saturday on Monday.
Meanwhile, 50 miles down the road, beleaguered south coast Portsmouth are riddled with woe, after administrators signed off captain Liam Lawrence to Cardiff last week, their peril continues. Star Nigerian forward Kanu is out with a back problem and Kelvin Etuhu is also set to miss out with his ongoing hamstring problem.
Last year’s clash saw the Seagulls come away with victory at Fratton Park back in August, record signing Craig Mackail- Smith scoring his first goal for the Albion. Portsmouth will be looking to grind out a victory, after their terrible seven game streak without a win.
Brighton on the other hand, are also suffering recently, after their fantastic start to the season, the Albion have only one win in the last six, Gus Poyet will be looking to leading scorer Ashley Barnes to put the Gulls back into the playoffs.
Credit: Pluton 16
Digital UK has announced that the switchover is now underway in Brighton and Hove, with digital TV set to reach thousands of viewers for the first time.
The first analogue signals were turned off at the Whitehawk Hill transmitter group this morning and the process is due to be completed on March 21st.
BBC Freeview channels will become available to people in ‘digital blackspots’ such as Patcham, Coldean and Saltdean, while existing viewers should notice an improvement in their picture quality.
People already watching Freeview in the East Sussex city will need to retune their boxes to restore the BBC services. Read the rest of this entry »
Motorists are advised to continue driving with caution even though the severe weather may appear to be improving.
Despite the thaw, roads may still be dangerous. Credit: Beerca
By Ruth Hazard
Now the hangover from January 1 is little more than a painful memory it’s time to celebrate all over again as we mark the Chinese New Year.
Photo used under creative commons by kattebelletje
By Alexandra Oxborough
For the thousands who missed out on Olympics tickets, consolation is at hand.
By Kayleigh Rose Lewis
After all the fun and festivities and, more importantly, time off work it’s time for the winter blues to kick in because it’s the dreaded month of January. But come on, things aren’t so bad, let Aunty Brighton-Lite cheer you up…..
2012, Brighton, Brighton Festival, dreamthinkspeak, England, Festival, hamlet, review, theatre, World Shakespeare Festival
Brighton Festival Review: dreamthinkspeak, The Rest Is Silence
In Brighton, Comment, Entertainment, Events, Features, Hove, National, Review, Sussex on May 8, 2012 at 3:16 PMcredit: Jillian Edelstein
We’re in a perspex walled box. Black floor, a faint glow from a large ceiling screen creating reflections of reflections. Boundless space. Projections of bare trees surround us, even above our heads. A man walks toward us between the trees, goes away. Another man looms in the extreme foreground. One wall is a close-up of his ear, leaking bloody poison. The image echoes around us.
A man wakes with a start. His ultra-modern bedroom is a brightly lit box beyond our perspex wall. He steps through the door to his bathroom, an adjoining box, rehearsing the speech Claudius makes to Hamlet, urging him to get over his father’s recent death and join his new parents in a united front. Overhead, we see him through the plughole as he tries out phrases and inflections above his basin.
Rooms appear on all sides. A fashionable young woman nervously straightens her jacket; her brother does a few press-ups before slipping into an expensive business suit; an attractive older woman brushes on foundation. Multiple video images from advertising and politics are projected onto other walls. A large room, one whole side of our own, is set up with a minimalist sofa for what looks like breakfast TV.
Behind us, a young man sits on the edge of his bed in the gloom, reflections creating the impression he’s underwater. He wrings his hands, and stares. Read the rest of this entry »
Share this:
Like this: