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Revenge boss Steve Jones, who also ran the R-Bar until it closed a few weeks ago, spoke for several places at a Brighton and Hove City Council meeting at Hove Town Hall.
Mr Jones called on the council to reflect on its licensing policy and help revive Brighton’s gay scene. He said R-Bar, in Marine Parade, closed last month after 21 years – and a week later the neighboring Charles Street Tap closed after 25 years in business.
He told a meeting of the full council that these weren’t the only places that had disappeared from the LGBTQ+ scene recently.
Mr Jones said he came to Brighton 22 years ago as an 18-year-old from Hayling Island looking to go to university “where I was literally the only gay person in the village”.
He said: “I came to Brighton for the weekend to test the waters and I fell in love with this city. St James’s Street and the streets around it had a buzz about them and the whole area felt lively and unapologetically gay.”
A young person coming here today would find somewhere “that still prides itself on its reputation as Britain’s gay capital, but an LGBT nightlife scene that is smaller, quieter and increasingly fragile”.
Mr Jones said: “One in nine adults living in this city identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual. That’s the highest proportion of any local authority in the country.
“LGBT culture doesn’t just appear once a year during Pride, it’s central to the identity of this city.
“All of Brighton’s nightlife is important to protect. The LGBT places carry an additional importance. For many people, they are the only place where they feel safe and can simply be themselves.”
Mr Jones appealed for help and support from the council and set out five priorities for action
- Recognize and invest in Brighton’s LGBTQ+ Quarter throughout the year by developing a clear plan to improve lighting, cleanliness and the public realm in St James’s Street, Marine Parade and surrounding areas
- Make the area safer with closed-circuit television (CCTV), visible police and wardens and by anti-social behavior, street drinking, drug activity and hate crime.
- Promote Brighton’s LGBTQ+ identity and offer, not just around Pride, but 365 days a year through Visit Brighton and other promotional partners
- Create a licensing environment that supports responsible nightlife and investment while allowing good operators to invest in new ideas
- Protect permanent places and develop a long-term nightlife strategy for the full economy from 18:00 to 06:00, including measures to protect existing places, attract responsible investments, improve transport and security and support mid- and off-season activity.
Labor councilor David McGregor, the council’s cabinet member for economy, culture, heritage and tourism, said there had already been positive steps to support the LGBTQ+ economy since a meeting between the council, places and Sussex Police.
He said fellow Labor Councilor Amanda Evans, who chairs the Council’s Place Oversight and Review Committee, held evidence sessions to feed a night-time economy strategy.
Councilor McGregor said: “I want us to show loudly and proudly the positive impact our LGBT scene has on the city and on the economy.
“I’m also looking at how we remember the history of Brighton’s LGBT community because I don’t think we can take it for granted as much as we do and I think that’s a big part of why people come here.”
Councilor McGregor, a former chairman of the council’s licensing committee, said that local policy changes had been made with the aim of encouraging “good operators”.
