The Brighton and Hove  Economic Partnership (BHEP), was contacted by the Government Office of the South East (GOSE) to help facilitate the event and Assistant City Centre Manager, Maddy Carr, has been working closely with local organisations to ensure that Brighton benefits from the visit.

Mr Straw will present the proposals and debate directly with the public from a soapbox outside Brighthelm Church and Community Centre in Brighton at 1pm.

Building Britain’s Future is the start of a process to engage with people on the big issues facing our country today. The debate in Brighton is one of the first of a series of events being led by Ministers up and down the country to explain more about the plan and to consult with members of the public on how to take it forward.

The City Council will be represented by Deputy Leader, Cllr Ayas Fallon-Khan.

Local media are invited to attend and report on the event, which will give the public the chance to put questions directly to Jack Straw. The Justice Secretary will also be available for interview by the regional media afterwards.

As reported in the Argus 03.07.09

Building Britain’s Future presents the government’s vision for a fairer, stronger and more prosperous society. Public service entitlements will for the first time be guaranteed to parents, patients and communities. New measures will also drive economic growth and create jobs, while other steps will address political reform. The plan is based on three clear priorities:

• Putting Britain firmly on the path to recovery and seizing future opportunities for economic growth
• Building on the improvements made in schools, hospitals and policing and modernising our national infrastructure
• Cleaning up politics and renewing our democracy.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said: “These plans push forward radical changes to redefine our constitution and begin to rebuild trust in politics. They include completing the process of making Parliament’s second chamber smaller and answerable to the public. A programme of immediate reforms will help correct the most urgent problems and be complemented by a pledge to involve the people in discussions on even more fundamental far-reaching changes to our democratic processes that balance accountability, rights and responsibilities.

“Building Britain’s Future includes important steps to reinforce our guiding principles of trust, fairness and transparency across the justice system. These underpin our plans to make the family court system more open and accountable to the public, and to ensure our business and commercial dealings are clear of any taint of bribery.”

The event is taking place from 1pm on Thursday 2 July 2009 in the grounds of the Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton, East Sussex, BN1 1YD.

For more information on this event, or to indicate interest in attending, please contact the Ministry of Justice News Desk on 020 3334 3536.

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