Details of celebrations to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next year have been revealed by Buckingham Palace and provide a great opportunity for our City to get involved - if our Council can take it.

The four-day Bank Holiday weekend from Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th June 2022 will begin with the coordinated lighting of Beacons across the length of the UK and around the world as part of a long and unbroken tradition of celebrating Birthdays and Royal jubilees in this way.

There is a great opportunity for Brighton & Hove to get involved as we have our own historic Beacon on the seafront near Hove Lagoon that could be lit up for the occasion.

A plaque at our City’s Hove Beacon states in 1588 a Beacon formed part of a national network used to alert the public against the Spanish Armada.

Sadly, the last time Beacons were lit across the country on the occasion of the Queen’s 90th Birthday in 2016, our City missed out, with the Labour Council neglecting to organise an event for the Hove Beacon.

At the time the Conservative Councillor for Wish Ward Garry Peltzer Dunn, told The Argus:  "Other areas in Sussex such as Burwash, Alfriston, Newick, Ditchling Beacon and Selsey marked the Queen's birthday with the lighting of their respective beacons. 

"Brighton and Hove held no such event which meant that the mayor of Brighton and Hove Cllr Lynda Hyde had to leave the city to take part in the celebrations in Littlehampton."

How embarrassing for the City’s Mayor Cllr Lynda Hyde to have to attend celebrations in another area.

His Wish Ward Colleague Cllr Robert Nemeth added: "We haven't quite got to the bottom yet of whether the Labour administration decided not to do anything, or if they simply forgot.

"Either way, it's a pretty poor showing for one of the country's key tourist and cultural destinations."

Brighton and Hove’s seafront is packed with heritage that has been underutilised and neglected for many years by the Labour/Greens council.

The Hove Beacon is among this number, having not been lit up since an event in 1988 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada in an event attended by the Mayor complete with cannon salutes and a marching band that many residents fondly remember.

Our Conservative Group of Councillors in the City has made a big push to restore and activate our heritage as we strongly believe that it is an asset for our city and its people.

We believe restoration would help support our city’s £886 million tourism industry and local jobs, improve the state of the City and also boost civic pride.  If the Council continues to leave its heritage to decay we will lose tourists, jobs and income.

At the City Budget in February Conservative Councillors put these ideas into action, securing £7.177m for Conservative priorities for the City including restoration of Madeira Terraces and Saltdean Lido; upgrading Volk’s electric railway and refurbishing historic railings and shelters.

As part of this package, we also recognised the importance of the Hove Beacon and managed to secure £15,000 funding for an LED light with the idea that this Beacon can be lit up on every night in the future.

This idea came from the local community and was backed by the Conservatives who got it into the budget.

Professional Lighting designer Eleni Shiarlis, who remembers seeing the Beacon lit up to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada, has said that with a little imagination and some clever lighting effects we can bring this flickering seafront beacon back to life at night.

The prototype has demonstrated the transformative power of light and how an intelligent lighting scheme can create a welcoming glow and warmth to the local area.  What a great idea.

The Council now has a year to plan for the Platinum Jubilee and the lighting of the Hove Beacon, whether that be by LED light or a more traditional way and there is no excuse to miss the mark again – the funding is there and a prototype is there.  It is a chance for our City to redeem itself after the embarrassment of 6 years ago on the occasion of the Queen’s 90th Birthday and recognise her majesty’s extraordinary 70 years of service.

Let’s properly mark this occasion and get our City’s historic Beacon lit up so that young people in our city today will look back on the Platinum Jubilee and remember it fondly.

ENDS.