Council Launches Civic Leadership Programme With Operation Black Vote
From left to right, Councillor Bella Sankey, Rita Patel (Vice Chair, Operation Black Vote), David Weaver (Chair, Operation Black Vote) and Millie Kerr, the council's strategic anti-racist lead. Photo credit Emma Francesca
Not a single one of Brighton and Hove's 54 councillors is Black. That's the backdrop to a new programme the council has just launched with Operation Black Vote, aimed at getting more Black and Asian residents into the civic roles that shape the city, councillors, magistrates, school governors, trustees, public appointees.
The Civic Leadership Programme launched properly on Thursday 9 July, 6 to 8pm, at Afrori Books in the city centre, the UK's largest bookshop dedicated to Black authors and a fitting choice of venue. It's a partnership between the council, Operation Black Vote and Brighton as a Place, and it's been years in the making. The funding, £53,000, traces back to a council motion agreed in 2022, in the wake of the conversations Brighton had about becoming an anti-racist city.
Operation Black Vote has been doing this work since 1996, nearly three decades pushing for political representation and racial equality, and has a track record of getting people into Parliament and onto local councils. That's the experience the council is leaning on here, rather than trying to build something from scratch.
Participants will get support to build the skills, confidence and networks needed to actually go for these roles, not just be told the door is open. Councillor Bella Sankey introduced the launch, and residents and local organisations got the chance to meet the Operation Black Vote team in person.
Councillor Mitchie Alexander, Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities, Public Health and Adult Social Care, said the city needs to do more than recognise the problem.
"I look forward to a future where we have more Black and Asian residents in our city applying for and holding more civic leadership positions. We recognise that representation remains low in relation to these roles and that we need to do more to encourage residents from our Black and Asian communities to come forward, so to better reflect the communities served. The civic leadership programme is a brilliant opportunity for anyone inspired to grow their knowledge and their confidence, so that the future leadership picture of Brighton and Hove properly represents the diversity of our city."
David Weaver, Chair of Operation Black Vote, put it plainly: a city known for its diversity still has a clear gap between that reputation and who actually holds power in it.
"Brighton and Hove is a place known for its diversity, creativity and strong civic voice. It is also a city that continues to ask important questions about representation, leadership and who gets to shape its future. Like many areas across the country, Brighton and Hove faces a clear and persistent challenge, the under-representation of Black, Asian and Global Majority communities across key civic roles. Whether as elected councillors, magistrates, school governors or leaders within public service bodies, this imbalance matters. It impacts not only fairness but the ability of institutions to genuinely understand, reflect and serve the communities they represent."
Why Afrori Books
Afrori Books opened as an online shop in 2020, in the middle of the Black Lives Matter protests, and became a physical store on the seafront in 2021 after a crowdfunder hit its target in four weeks. Founder Carolynn Bain has since been named British Bookseller of the Year twice, in 2023 and 2025, and the shop has picked up Brighton Business of the Year in both 2024 and 2025. It's grown into more than a shop, it's where a choir meets, where Black hair education workshops happen, where foster carers stop in for a cup of tea. Launching a programme about representation in exactly that space wasn't an accident.
Interested in taking part in the Civic Leadership Programme? Get in touch to find out more.
Find Out More at OBVAnyone wanting more detail can email brighton-hove@obv.org.uk or visit obv.org.uk/brighton-hove-civic-leadership-programme.
