The Madeira lift petition in Brighton has passed 700 verified signatures, with campaigners seeking a funded plan and completion timetable for the historic seafront lift. The Change.org page showed 706 when checked on 10 November 2026, following local coverage on 9 November.
Last updated: 10 November 2026, 18:10 GMT. Signature totals can change.
Madeira lift petition in Brighton: what is being requested?
The original petition, started by Rebecca Bunker on 7 October, asks the council to allocate money, involve restoration specialists and set a schedule. Its claim that a restoration commitment is at risk is the campaigner’s assessment, not a new council decision established by the petition.
Brighton & Hove News’ report of 9 November says the old lift closed in 2023. It distinguishes that structure from the modern accessible lift being delivered through the wider terrace project. A new lift and restoration of the historic one are different questions.
What happens next?
The council’s published procedure rules set a 1,250-signature threshold for a qualifying petition to trigger a council debate. Brighton & Hove News reports that campaigners are seeking that total by Thursday 12 November. We have not verified a scheduled debate or a funding decision for this petition.
Reaching a signature target should therefore not be presented as securing money, approving works or fixing a reopening date. The next substantive evidence would be council acceptance and scheduling, followed by a response about funding and delivery.
What residents should do
Read the original petition before deciding whether to support it. For formal process enquiries, the council’s petitions page gives democratic.services@brighton-hove.gov.uk. Do not rely on a campaign target as confirmation that lift access will be restored by a particular date.
Brighton Locals’ view
A request for a costed timetable is useful because it makes the unresolved question specific. The next test is whether a deliverable restoration plan exists alongside accessible seafront provision. Signatures demonstrate support; they cannot resolve engineering, funding or operating costs by themselves.
Our earlier Madeira Terrace report concerns the wider project. This report covers the separate petition development.
Archive image: historic Madeira Lift, 4 October 2009. Andy Potter / Geograph, CC BY-SA 2.0. Display crop; not current condition or the new lift.
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