The Brighton and Hove business picture
There were 23,423 active companies with a Brighton or Hove registered office at 1 September 2026, combining the two post towns. 2,746 new companies were set up there in the 12 months to August 2026, which is 117.2 for every 1,000 active companies. The UK figure is 137.5, so Brighton and Hove is forming companies more slowly than the national rate. Because the figures combine two post towns, the city is not ranked against the 175 single towns in the data.
The wider BN postcode area stretches along the Sussex coast and inland, taking in towns such as Worthing, Shoreham-by-Sea, Lewes and Eastbourne. It has 59,307 active companies, and 6,524 new companies were set up there in the same period, which is 110.0 per 1,000.
These figures count registered companies only. Sole traders and ordinary partnerships are not on the Companies House register, so a freelance designer or musician working on their own account does not appear here. A company's registered office is also not always where it trades, and addresses holding 1,000 or more companies, such as formation agents, are left out.
How many accountancy firms are there?
Brighton and Hove has 229 accountancy firms set up as companies, one for every 102 companies, against one for every 83 across the UK. The BN postcode area has 696 firms, one for every 85 companies, close to the UK figure. Sole practitioners and LLPs are not in the count, so the real number of accountants is higher.
Because sole traders are left out, a lower formation rate says little about how many people in the city are starting out on their own. Whatever your structure, the questions that matter are the same: does your accountant understand your kind of work, is the fee fixed, and can you reach the same person when something comes up.
Industries that stand out in Brighton and Hove
A location quotient compares how common a trade is locally with how common it is across the UK: 1.77 means the trade makes up 1.77 times the UK share of companies. The figures in this section are for companies with a Brighton or Hove registered office, not the whole BN postcode area. Creative, media and recruitment companies stand out.
Artistic creation
Artistic creation, the industry code for individual artists, writers and other creators, has 446 companies, a location quotient of 2.49, nearly two and a half times the UK share. Where income swings from year to year, sole traders and partners who create literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works can claim averaging to even out profits across two consecutive tax years when they vary sharply. Averaging cannot be used alongside the cash basis, and it does not cover income mainly from services. See accountants for musicians.
Performing arts
Performing arts has 197 companies, a location quotient of 1.77. HMRC's guidance for actors and performers says employment status depends on each engagement looked at alongside the performer's wider business. Costumes for actors and entertainers are an allowable expense, but everyday clothing is not, even if you only wear it for performances. Our page on accountants for actors covers the rest.
Advertising agencies
Advertising agencies have 295 companies, a location quotient of 1.52. If your agency sends clients gifts or branded merchandise, the tax rules are narrow: a gift is deductible only if it carries a conspicuous advertisement for the business, is not food, drink, tobacco or a voucher, and gifts to the same person cost no more than £50 in the period. Work for overseas business clients is usually outside the scope of UK VAT, as long as you keep evidence the customer is in business. See accountants for marketing agencies.
Employment placement agencies
Employment placement agencies have 176 companies, a location quotient of 1.38. Since 6 April 2026, where an umbrella company employs the workers, the agency that contracts with the end client is responsible for making sure PAYE is operated correctly, and HMRC can recover any underpaid PAYE from that agency. That makes checking the umbrella companies in your supply chain a tax matter, not just a compliance one. See accountants for recruitment agencies.
Software development (1.21), management consultancy (1.19) and architectural practices (1.16) are also more common in Brighton and Hove than across the UK. Dental practices show a very high figure of 3.33, but a figure this high can reflect a group registered locally rather than many independent practices, so we do not read much into it.
Local practicalities in Brighton and Hove
Clean air rules
Brighton and Hove is not on the GOV.UK list of charging clean air zones. The city does have a low emission zone on Castle Square, North Street and Western Road as far as the junction with Holland Road, but it is a condition on buses entering the zone rather than a daily charge on drivers. Taxi, van and car drivers do not pay to use it.
Taxi and private hire licensing
Brighton & Hove City Council issues its own hackney carriage and private hire licences for drivers, vehicles and operators, and renews them every year. Vehicles are subject to age limits and mechanical tests, drivers have periodic police, DVLA and medical checks, and the council keeps a waiting list for new hackney carriage vehicle licences. Its Blue Handbook says it will not license vehicles that cannot meet its Euro technology requirements. When you renew a driver or operator licence you need an HMRC tax check code, which you must get yourself rather than through an accountant, and which lasts 120 days. Everything is on the council's taxi licences page.
Business rates and small business rate relief
Business rates in the city are billed by Brighton & Hove City Council. A business using one property with a rateable value of £12,000 or less pays no business rates, and relief tapers from 100% to 0% between £12,001 and £15,000, so a rateable value of £13,500 gets 50% off. First-time applicants use the council's online small business rate relief form, which for a company must be made by a director or someone authorised to act for it. Once you receive relief, the council asks you to tell it within 28 days if you take on another property or one becomes empty.
Business support
The Brighton & Hove Growth Hub is a council service, funded by the UK Government, offering free support to businesses of every size in the city, from expert advice to workshops and networking. It works with the Business & IP Centre Sussex, which offers free market research databases, guidance on protecting intellectual property and on-demand webinars.
Working with an online accountant in Brighton and Hove
GoForma does not have an office in Brighton or Hove. We are an online accountancy practice based at 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE, and we work with clients across the UK by phone, video, email and WhatsApp. Our accountants are ACCA and AAT qualified, and FreeAgent accounting software is included in every package.
If you are self-employed, the Start Sole Trader package gives you a dedicated accountant and your Self Assessment return for £44 a month, with 50% off the first three months. For a limited company, the Start Bundle covers year-end accounts, the Corporation Tax return and payroll for one director for £88 a month, also with 50% off the first three months. Prices exclude VAT, run month to month and are all on our packages page. If you are not sure which suits you, book a free consultation first.