Good morning, Brighton. Wednesday’s here, and after a busy first half of the week, there’s plenty to catch up on before we head into the weekend. So grab your coffee, get comfy, and let’s catch you up.

In today’s Brighton Scoop:

- Phil Reynolds

🏛️ Restoration of Madeira Terrace's first 27 arches is on track, contractor Mackley's Mike Clegg confirmed - though he's dodging exact dates, calling that "the kiss of death" while final cast iron pieces are tested. Council project manager Abigail Hone was braver, pencilling in "early next year."

So far 15 arches are up, six have walkway concrete poured, and the next three months bring cable-laying, control panels, the lift carriage, benches and brickwork. Budget won't stretch to sprucing up seafront furniture east of the pier before opening, though.

Trickier still: funding the next phase. A Heritage At Risk bid was rejected, so the council is courting private investors for the western arches, with Concorde 2's operators among those pitching their vision to the new (closed-door) seafront development board.

📕 As the Big Issue marks its 35th birthday, Brighton vendor Andy Sanguy says selling the paper "saved his life" after he lost his partner, his home and hit rock bottom. Now he doubles his money on every £2.50 copy sold, alongside job and health support - one of over 110,000 people nationally helped since Lord John Bird and Gordon Roddick launched the paper in 1991.

The milestone comes as homelessness bites locally, with nearly 50 Brighton & Hove households a week deemed homeless this year and a record 2,292 in temporary accommodation. Lord Bird argues the real fix lies in tackling inherited poverty, while PM Andy Burnham has pledged emergency winter shelter for rough sleepers - a promise Andy hopes, cautiously, will stick.

🎡 Good news for seafront fans - the Brighton Wheel looks set to make a comeback next year. Cabinet has granted a lease for its original spot on Madeira Drive, with the family firm behind Brighton Zip and Daltons Venue taking the reins.

The operator will cover all running costs, staffing and maintenance, while the council pockets a guaranteed rent in return.

Councillor David McGregor called it a boost for the eastern seafront, offering visitors another reason to head down and giving regeneration efforts a welcome commercial lift.

Next step: a planning application. If that gets the nod, the Wheel could be turning again by next summer.

👏 Brighton & Hove celebrated the launch of Phase 2 of its Young Futures Hub in Moulsecoomb on 16 September, gathering professionals, partners and young people at the hub's temporary youth centre. Highlights included a marketplace of local services, a lively performance from AudioActive, and a peek at the games and art rooms.

As an early adopter of the government's national Young Futures Hub scheme, the city is building inclusive, youth-led spaces for 10 to 18-year-olds (up to 25 for those with SEND). The hub's "Hub and Spokes" model links up organisations including Brighton Youth Centre and Jubilee Library.

Councillor Emma Daniel hailed the event as a celebration of partnership and co-production, with excitement building for Phase 3 - a permanent home featuring a new youth centre, skatepark, community hub and housing.

☀️ | 📈 23° | 📉 11° | ☔️ <5% | 🌬️ WSW 8mph | 🌊 <1ft

☀️ | 📈 19° | 📉 14° | ☔️ <5% | 🌬️ SE 8mph | 🌊 <1ft

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Cinema’s aren’t going to fill themselves. Break a habit of a lifetime, turn off Netflix, get off the sofa and potter down to your local (cinema).

Duke of York’s Picturehouse - Book

Sense & Sensibility & Broadcast Q&A | Pressure | Gruffalo’s Child | Shaun The Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom | National Theatre Live: The Misanthrope

Dukes at Komedia - Book

Hope | Pressure | Tony | April X | The Incomer | The Beast of Mossy Bottom | Practical Magic 2 | Extra Geography & Q&A | Shaun The Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom | National Theatre Live: The Misanthrope | Coyote v ACME | Teenage Sex & Death at Camp Miasma

🎈 Family friendly events

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