What county is Brighton in?
As a team who live and work in Brighton we are often asked ‘What county is Brighton in’ and to this end we have done a bundle of research to find out the answer.
So where to start? Well it turns out that the City of Brighton and Hove is a unitary authority. A unitary authority essentially provides all the local services traditionally carried out by both the Local government County Councils and the District, borough or city councils.
As a unitary authority The City of Brighton and Hove provides all of the local services usually split between the County Councils and District, borough or city council including:
- Education
- Transport
- Planning
- Fire and Public Safety
- Social Care
- Libraries
- Waste Management
- Trading Standards
- Rubbish Collection
- Recycling
- Council Tax Collections
- Housing
- Planning Applications (source: https://www.gov.uk/understand-how-your-council-works/types-of-council)
There are 55 unitary authorities in England (source department for Communities and Local Government)
As a unitary authority the City of Brighton and Hove is geographically considered to be part of East Sussex in governance terms it acts independently of both East and West Sussex.
Brighton & Hove became a new unitary authority on 1 April 1997 a new coat of arms was needed to represent the joining of Brighton and Hove the crest below featuring Dolphins was developed – based on ‘an amalgamation of the two ‘Armorial Bearings of the former Hove and Brighton Borough Councils’
The Brighton and Hove Moto (translated) is ‘Between Downs and Sea We Flourish’ (source: https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/content/council-and-democracy/councillors-and-committees/brighton-hove-crest)
So which county is Brighton and Hove in? Well simply put it is located in the geographic County of East Sussex but as an independent Unity Authority Brighton and Hove has independent governance.
