A new official portrait of Brighton & Hove’s Mayor has been unveiled at Brighton Town Hall, capturing what many have described as one of the city’s most distinctive mayoral years.
The portrait of Cllr Amanda Grimshaw BEM, photographed by award‑winning documentary photographer Chris Jepson, was revealed on Friday, 15 May in the Council Chamber, marking the close of the mayor’s 2025–26 term.
Taken in the historic chamber where Grimshaw has presided over civic life, the image is rich in symbolism, drawing together personal history, local identity and more than 170 years of the city’s mayoralty.
The portrait was commissioned at no cost to the public. Jepson donated his time, while production costs were met through private donations, reflecting the community‑led spirit that characterised Grimshaw’s year in office.
Awarded the British Empire Medal for services to community work, Grimshaw was elected as a Labour councillor in 2019 and has held senior roles including deputy chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee and chief whip.
Before entering politics, Grimshaw worked in museums and served as a trustee of the Royal Pavilion and Museums Trust. She is also a long‑standing advocate for veterans and the Armed Forces, and has spoken openly about coming to education later in life, raising four children, and surviving homelessness and domestic abuse.
Those experiences sit at the heart of the portrait. Grimshaw is pictured in the Council Chamber beside the portrait of Colonel John Fawcett, Brighton’s first mayor in 1854, with the two images now facing one another across generations of civic history.
Details within the photograph carry deliberate meaning. The mayoral mace anchors the composition, while Grimshaw wears an Armed Forces pin on her lapel alongside a rainbow flower and an AIDS ribbon, reflecting her commitment to equality and inclusion. Among her chosen mayoral charities was Allsorts Youth Project, Brighton’s LGBTQ+ youth charity.
She is dressed in a tailored suit made from the Brighton & Hove tartan, designed by North Laine tailor Gresham Blake and officially certified by the Scottish Register of Tartans. The colours reference the city’s landscape and character, from the sea and the South Downs to Brighton’s reputation for creativity and flamboyance.
The portrait will hang permanently in Brighton Town Hall as part of the city’s official mayoral record.
Chris Jepson said: “Amanda’s story is remarkable, and the way she has given herself so fully to this role has been something to witness. I wanted to make an image that could hold all of that history and meaning. I hope the portrait does her justice.”
Cllr Amanda Grimshaw BEM said the portrait went “beyond a likeness”, adding: “It tells a story - of resilience, of change, and of a city that embraces difference and celebrates progress.”
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