A place with its own story

A place with its own story

Sussex is a place of real variety, character and opportunity.

Across the region, vibrant cities, coastal communities, rural areas and thriving towns each bring their own identity and strengths. Its diverse economy brings together major businesses and infrastructure, universities, growing enterprises, ports and strong connections beyond the region.

It is this diversity that makes Sussex such an exciting place to work. Different communities bring different opportunities, ambitions and challenges, creating the chance to make a meaningful impact across a region with enormous potential.

An economy with significant assets

Sussex brings together very different parts of the economy.

Gatwick Airport and the Manor Royal business district sit alongside Brighton & Hove's extensive small business economy. The University of Sussex contributes expertise in areas including quantum technologies, while the region's ports provide connections beyond Sussex and the UK.

That diversity creates opportunities, but it also creates a need to think across traditional organisational and geographic boundaries.

For Sussex & Brighton, the question is how those strengths can contribute to prosperity across the whole region.

More than one geography

No single part of Sussex defines the whole.

Our communities include urban centres, coastal towns, market towns, suburbs and rural areas.

Strategic leadership here means understanding different places on their own terms, while recognising the opportunities that emerge when Sussex acts at greater scale.

Close to London. Distinct from it.

Sussex has strong connections beyond its borders, including with London. However, proximity to the capital does not define the region.

For us, the more interesting story is what Sussex brings in its own right: its businesses, communities, institutions, infrastructure and different local economies.

As Mark Rogers puts it in his welcome to candidates:

"Sussex is close to London, but it is not London."