#35: Growing A Global Business In Sussex Could Be So Much Easier
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #35 Growing A Global Business In Sussex Could Be So Much Easier Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Matt Barker – Founder & CEO, MPB 🔍 Episode summary Richard is joined by Matt Barker, founder and chief executive of MPB, one of Sussex’s biggest global business success stories - built from modest roots in Brighton and now operating at serious international scale. What began as an eBay side project while Matt was a student has grown into the world’s largest platform for buying, selling and trading professional photography and video equipment,...
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#34: Devolution Is Only As Local As It Feels
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode #34 Devolution Is Only As Local As It Feels Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Cllr Julia Hilton – Deputy Leader, Hastings Borough Council 🔍 Episode summary Richard is joined by Cllr Julia Hilton, Deputy Leader of Hastings Borough Council and one of Sussex’s most outspoken voices on local government reorganisation and devolution. Julia brings a fiercely place-based perspective, shaped by her background as a landscape architect, artist and community organiser. The conversation is unapologetically Hastings-first; not as a brand or 'policy problem',...
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#33: Devolution Can Make Us More ‘Sussex’. But It Is A Big Leadership Challenge
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 33: Devolution Can Make Us More ‘Sussex’. But It Is A Big Leadership Challenge Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Rt Hon Peter Kyle MP – Secretary of State for Business and Trade; MP for Hove & Portslade 🔍 Episode summary This episode opens a new year and a new series of Sussex And The City, recorded at a moment of political shift but strategic acceleration. Richard Freeman sits down with Peter Kyle MP – one of the most influential figures in the current government and a long-standing Sussex representative – to explore what devolution...
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#32: EMERGENCY PODCAST!
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 32: EMERGENCY PODCAST! Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Martin Webb, independent candidate for Mayor of Sussex & Brighton No Sussex mayor until 2028 The government is set to delay the first elections for newly created regional mayors in four areas - Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, Hampshire and the Solent, and Sussex and Brighton. The BBC reports that ballots originally scheduled for May 2026 will now be held in 2028, with a formal announcement expected shortly. 🔗 These mayoralties are the political centrepiece of the...
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#31: Why I Want To Be Mayor (Part Five)
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 31: Why I Want To Be Mayor (Part Five) Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Martin Webb, independent candidate for Mayor of Sussex & Brighton 🔍 Episode summary In this wide-ranging conversation, Richard sits down with Martin Webb — a man whose CV could easily be many separate careers. Martin was a defining figure in Brighton’s 90s and 00s nightlife, running clubs, bars and restaurants across the city. He has also ran his own local media empire, been a business mentor on Channel 4, a columnist for The Telegraph, a small business author,...
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#30: Opportunity In Sussex Starts With Being Seen
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 30: Opportunity In Sussex Starts With Being Seen Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Donna O’Toole — founder of August Recognition; co-founder of Rewards App 🔍 Episode summary In this week’s episode, Richard meets Donna O’Toole - multi-award-winning entrepreneur, awards strategist and lifelong Sussex resident - whose journey from Arundel Castle to global business owner is as remarkable as it is rooted in place. Donna grew up in the grounds of Arundel Castle, where her family worked as part of the staff, before entering care at aged 15 and...
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#29: Sussex Money Matters: Tackling Debt And Building Trust
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 29: Sussex Money Matters: Tackling Debt And Building Trust Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Emma Norledge - Deputy CEO, Wave Community Bank 🔍 Episode summary What if the future of devolution wasn’t just about power – but about money that stays in Sussex? In this episode, Richard Freeman talks to Emma Norledge, Deputy Chief Executive of Wave Community Bank, a not-for-profit credit union helping thousands of people across East Sussex, Brighton and Kent access fair, local finance. Credit unions aren’t really banks as we know them; they’re still...
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#28: Why Sussex Needs To Look After Its Shopkeepers
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 28: Why Sussex Needs To Look After Its Shopkeepers Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Shiv Misra - founder of Kindly 🔍 Episode summary In this episode, Richard Freeman talks with Shiv Misra, founder of Kindly, a Brighton homegrown supermarket with a difference; fair prices, no plastic, and no gimmicks. Shiv’s story is one of grit, optimism and retail reform, building something sustainable in every sense of the word. From taking over the old HISBE store to juggling a day job in IT and and growing a new model of retail, Shiv explains what independent...
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#27: Is Art Sussex' Civic Superpower?
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 27: Is Art Sussex' Civic Superpower? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Lesley Samms - founder of Pure Arts Group 🔍 Episode summary In this conversation, Richard Freeman sits down with artist mentor, curator and Pure Arts Group founder Lesley Samms – a powerhouse advocate for visual artists across Sussex and beyond. Lesley shares her journey from leaving behind corporate success at Coca-Cola to becoming a champion of grassroots creativity, community connection and artistic confidence. Based in Battle, she has built networks that help artists find...
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#26: Can Sussex Lead On Closing The Loop?
Sussex And The City
The Sussex And The City Podcast – Episode 26: Can Sussex Lead On Closing The Loop? Host: Richard Freeman Guest: Steve Creed - co-founder of Circular Brighton & Hove 🔍 Episode summary In this conversation, Richard Freeman sits down with Steve Creed – a Canadian-born sustainability consultant and leading voice in Sussex’s circular-economy movement. Steve has spent decades connecting the dots between food, housing, transport, climate and culture, helping councils, housing groups and social enterprises to think differently about waste and regeneration. As co-founder of Circular...
info_outlineThe Sussex And The City Podcast
– Episode 16:
Why I Want To Be Mayor (Parts Two & Three)
Host: Richard Freeman
Guests: Tim Loughton – former MP for East Worthing & Shoreham
Paul Marshall – Leader of West Sussex County Council
This episode is brought to you in partnership with:
Different Hats – founded by Sam Thomas in 2024, Different Hats brings together 20 years of helping Sussex businesses tell stories that convert. From producing over 100 podcast episodes to hosting live events and building a powerful network of regional leaders, they’re shaping authentic storytelling that sparks change.
👉 different-hats.co.uk
🔍 Episode summary
Richard sits down with two heavyweight West Sussex Conservative figures — Tim Loughton and Cllr Paul Marshall — who until August were both contenders for the party’s Sussex mayoral nomination. Though neither are in the race now as Katy Bourne secures the nomination, their perspectives reveal much about what’s at stake as Sussex prepares for devolution.
Tim draws on 27 years in Parliament to argue that a Sussex mayor could finally secure the infrastructure and investment the county he feels it has long been denied. Paul, meanwhile, reflects on his time as leader of West Sussex County Council, emphasising productivity, connectivity and collaboration as the pillars of a future Sussex economy.
Between Westminster experience and local government pragmatism, both men paint different but overlapping pictures of what Sussex needs from its first mayor - and the risks if we don’t get it right.
🎯 Why this matters
"We’re the seventh largest economy in England, but we’ve seen so much money drain to the Treasury without enough coming back. Sussex needs far greater control over how we invest in our own infrastructure. That’s why I became a convert to devolution — because other metro mayors are getting things done that I could never achieve as an MP." – Tim Loughton
"Connectivity leads to opportunity. Poor connectivity leads to poor outcomes. If you can’t move easily across Sussex — east to west, north to south — you can’t unlock productivity or create the standard of living people deserve. A mayor’s role is to convene, to align ambitions, and to deliver on that long-term." – Cllr Paul Marshall
🧠 Topics covered include:
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Why Sussex should see itself as one county, not fragments
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Lessons from Manchester, Liverpool and other devolved regions
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The A27, housing pressures, and the talent drain
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Why productivity in Sussex lags behind the South East
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The balance between economic growth and inclusion
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How devolution could fix fragmented decision-making
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The mayor as convener: collaboration not command
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Risks of over-politicisation and the need for public trust
🎧 Production credits
Host: Richard Freeman
Guests: Tim Loughton & Cllr Paul Marshall
Sound design / editing / original music: Chris Thorpe-Tracey
Production management: Letitia McConalogue
Recorded at: Projects: The Lanes, Brighton
📣 Get involved
Want better public communication in Sussex? Want to help shape devolution in a way people understand?
👉 sussexandthecity.info – for more episodes, resources and events.