2024: A great year for Portsmouth, with more to come in 2025

Without doubt, 2024 was a great year for Portsmouth.

A real highlight for us all is our fabulous new sea defences. Still opening, they integrate historic features with the new, such as the Theatre of the Sea.

Our city ends 2024 better connected, with more evening bus services and some now running 24 hours a day. If you've taken the bus recently, you may also have seen the newly completed bus gate near the Cascades.

We're also going to bid for new funding to unlock the nearby City Centre North plans that would revitalise the heart of the city.

In December, planning permission was approved for a new leisure centre and GP surgery at Bransbury Park which will be a state of the art new facility.

In the north of the city, Hilsea Lido opened after a major refurbishment in time for its 90th anniversary as a much-loved leisure facility for local residents.

These plans will be part of a greener future for Portsmouth, sitting comfortably alongside a major push to double tree canopy coverage across the city.

But this year hasn't been easy. For many people, life got harder in 2024. Winter fuel payments were withdrawn by the government and the cost of living is a real challenge. 

The City Council has rolled out one-off fuel support to help people through this winter given the very short notice given by government for some of these changes. We are also continuing some ongoing cost of living support for city residents.

For the longer term, we are also increasing the city's stock of council housing so that everyone has an affordable place to call home. That is real action to solve Portsmouth's housing crisis.

Looking ahead, 2025 will be the Year of Literature with Portsmouth Creates, which will be celebrating our city's rich literature heritage, future, and the challenges we face. This will be part of the city's bustling cultural scene next year.

We also have a summer packed full of events, including the prestigious international Sail Grand Prix (Sail GP) which will take place off Southsea beach in July.

What a year 2024 has been! Thank you for joining us on the way, we hope you have a happy and prosperous 2025 and that you can enjoy some of the events we have planned. 🎆