Don’t wipe Hove off the map

The Boundary Commission for England is planning to get rid of Hove, by ripping out the Hove Park area and moving it into Brighton (a new constituency called ‘Brighton North’), then abolishing the rest of Hove as a separate entity and instead merging it into Brighton – in a new constituency called ‘Brighton Central and Hove’, where Hove gets second billing. As a result, the ancient borough of Hove, as a place in its own right, will disappear from the political map forever.

Some will see this as a final nail in Hove’s coffin. And surely no-one who has lived in Hove or Brighton for more than five minutes will think it makes sense. It is, as Albion saviour Dick Knight has called it, an ill-conceived plan that fails “to recognise and understand the unique fabric of the city – two towns united as a city but happily divided by their own distinct identities.”

Hove is completely distinct from Brighton – a different town with its own look and feel, architecture, society and social fabric. Chopping Hove up and then making it a junior partner of Brighton brings independent Hove to an end. It destroys Hove’s traditional, natural and deeply embedded community ties and replaces them with new, artificial ties that make no sense. Hove will no longer be Hove.

This not only destroys Hove but fundamentally changes the character of the whole area. The loss of Hove threatens to undermine the social fabric of this young city, to the detriment of all. And it will be devastating to the people of Hove.

So, Boundary Commission, please keep your Hands off Hove.

Campaign website: http://handsoffhove.org/?hovepetition
Boundary Commission’s planned map: http://bit.ly/BCEmap
Boundary Commission proposals: http://bit.ly/BCEdoc1