Working together for a fairer, more equal, democratic and sustainable Sussex
What we did in 2024 Newsletter
19 July 2025
Join Us at Our Next Coffee With Politics Morning
19 July - 10.00-12.30
Conerstone Community Centre
Booking essential
So What's Poverty Got to Do With It?
Join us at our next coffee morning to explore poverty in the UK and its impact on democracy, and what we can make of this.
Britain is ranked among the 12 wealthiest countries in the world, and Brighton & Hove is listed among the most affluent cities in the UK. And yet each week, more than 6,400 people in the city rely on food banks — a 25% rise from the previous year. And it's estimated that around 10,000 children — about 26.4% — are growing up in poverty (BBC). Whilst nationally, food bank use reached 2.3 million people in 2022/23. The contrast within our wealthy nation is stark.
And poverty does not just damage the lives of families and individuals, but our society, communities and democracy.
Our next coffee morning explores not only the human cost of inequality, but what poverty means for our communities and our democracy.
Our speakers will explore these issues from a national and local perspective:
Speaker: Andrea Cornwall, Professor of Global Development & Anthropology, Kings College London
Andrea works on questions of rights and justice in relation to gender, participation, democracy and development through an anthropological lens.
Speaker: Reyna Kothari, CEO and Consultant
Reyna brings more than 25 years of strategic business management in the UK and abroad and is CEO of The Old Boat Corner Community Hub in Hollingbury, supporting communities in need.
Click here to sign up to our Mailing List. We will send an announcement of the event in early July, with a link to book.
Click here to see meeting notes from previous Coffee Mornings - including Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation, The Economy, The Environment, and more.
Coming Events - Coffee with Politics Mornings
13 September 2025 So How's it Going Then? Reflecting on Labour's First 12 Months - Speakers: Mark Perryman and Mike Phipps (invited)
About Brighton and Hove Compass
Nationally and locally, Compass campaigns for the good society, one that is more equal, democratic, and sustainable. We believe that no single organisation or political party can create the good society. And that the main progressive parties have far more in common than differences. So, we need to develop new and radical collaborations to achieve a good society.
Brighton and Hove is an amazing creative and progressive place with a vibrant artistic, community and voluntary sector. A city with an great track record of campaigning that remains as alive as ever with Pride, Black Lives Matter and others. And we are fortunate to have a council with a progressive majority. But our city is also a place where wealth and extreme poverty, poor housing, low paid and seasonal work, and homelessness sit side by side so, when we re-launched our local Compass group in 2020, our priority was to support Brighton build back better after the pandemic. However, our local collaboration can only achieve so much without changing Britain’s centralised, short term and tribal political system. We believe that there are three key elements getting in the way:
- Our unfair electoral system
- Our tribal politics
- Our over centralised national and local political systems
We are exploring ideas, discussing issues and planning strategies. We do this at our bi-monthly coffee mornings and other events in Brighton and Hove.
B&H Compass needs your input
Over the coming 2-3 years, B&H Compass will be holding campaigning actions and conversations around the broad theme of democracy and power. Watch this space for more, or contact us on brightonhove@compassonline.org.uk if you have ideas or would like to get involved.
Brighton and Hove Compass is coordinated by a volunteer steering group of seven.
Join Compass here https://action.compassonline.org.uk/. And email us locally at brightonhove@compassonline.org.uk
Promoted by and for Compass Campaigns Ltd., 10 Salamanca Place, London, SE1 7HB
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