Why can't councils agree how to reorganise Sussex?

Councils disagree about how many new authorities to create and what size and shape they should be, so the government must now shortlist proposals

Councils leaders will tell the government on Friday how they think local councils should be restructured across Sussex.

It is a major overhaul of the way our local services like schools, social care, roads and waste will be run from 2028, alongside plans to elect the first mayor of Sussex next year.

East and West Sussex county councils and all 12 borough and district councils will be scrapped and replaced with new unitary authorities which run all services for their area.

But different councils have disagreed about how many new authorities to create, and what size and shape they should be, meaning the Government must now choose the best way forward.

West Sussex

In West Sussex, there is disagreement between what the county council and what the borough and districts think would be the best way forward.

West Sussex County Council has favoured running the whole county, with a population of 900,000 people, under one single new authority.

They say this would create the smoothest transition and save the most money, an estimated £50m a year.

But all seven existing borough and district councils disagree, voting instead to split the county into two with a south-west half made up of 473,000 residents in Chichester, Arun, Adur and Worthing and a north-east half made up of 428,000 residents in Horsham, Crawley and Mid Sussex.

They say this would better retain the culture of different areas, keeping coastal districts together, and allow enough flexibility to deliver local services according to local needs.

In a public consultation held earlier this year, 62% of residents favoured splitting the county in two, with just 23% preferring to create a single authority for the whole county.

Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove is already run as a unitary authority with all services run by one city council since 1997.

Its proposal for reorganisation would see the whole of Sussex divided into five authorities each serving 300,000 to 400,000 residents to "better reflect the way people live, work and travel".

It would divide both East Sussex and West Sussex, but in a different way to the one chosen by existing borough and district councils in West Sussex.

Brighton & Hove would expand to take in East Saltdean, Telescombe Cliffs, Peacehaven and Falmer to enlarge its footprint and population.

Lewes District Council (LDC) and all of the town and parish councils that serve those areas have strongly rejected Brighton's proposal to expand.

In a public consultation run by LDC and East Sussex, 86% of residents who responded did not want to see Lewes' boundaries changed.

In a consultation in Brighton & Hove, only 27% favoured the proposed expansion being put forward to government.

Brighton & Hove is the only council that has proposed reorganisation beyond its own boundary and proposed to redraw existing boundaries around Sussex, which has attracted criticism from some that they have not communicated or consulted with other councils enough.

Brighton & Hove's plan would see Sussex divided into five unitary authorities

East Sussex

There was more consensus in East Sussex, with the county council and Lewes, Eastbourne, Rother and Hastings all backing a plan for one new single authority to run their county, with its population of 550,000.

They say that would benefit from existing partnerships and save £18.8m a year and it is what 74% of residents called for in a county-wide consultation earlier this year.

But Wealden District Council, which withdrew its support for one new single authority last week, has not chosen not to submit a preferred plan to government.

Leader James Partridge said a single authority would be "too large to provide responsive, high quality services", but while the council is interested in Brighton & Hove's proposal, it has not had enough time to consider it in sufficient detail.

While Hastings Borough Council is supporting the One East Sussex plan, leaders also voted to include two other options in its submission to government.

They are for a coastal authority comprising Hastings, Rother, Eastbourne and parts of Lewes and Wealden and another proposal to abolish the county council but retain all five district and borough councils in a federated co-working model.

What happens next?

The government is introducing elected mayors and unitary authorities across England, promising more power to help drive economic growth.

Sussex is one of six areas selected for the Devolution Priority Programme.

All of our existing councils will submit what they think is the best plan for reorganisation on Friday, alongside their reasons why, including financial projections.

The secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, Steve Reed, will then consider the proposals.

Once he has shortlisted options, there is expected to be a public consultation launched in November with results returned early next year and a final decision made in the spring.

Sussex voters will elect councillors to the authorities in May 2027 and there will be shadow years alongside existing councils until 2028 when those councils are dissolved.

Meanwhile, an election for the first mayor of Sussex will take place in May 2026.