Sussex election results 2022: Labour wins control of Worthing for first time
- Published
Victorious Labour councillors celebrate taking overall control in Worthing
Labour has taken control of Worthing Borough Council for the first time.
Going into the election the Tories ran a minority administration at the West Sussex authority.
But Labour took ten seats, holding four and gaining six, to seize power.
Elsewhere in Sussex, Labour took overall control of Crawley Borough Council, where it had run a minority administration, but it lost its majority at Hastings Borough Council, where the Greens gained three seats.
Meanwhile, the Conservatives held Adur District Council.
The Labour leader of Crawley Borough Council, Peter Lamb, announced his decision to step down "on his own terms" after the results were declared, saying he wanted a "short break from intense politics".
Dr Rebecca Cooper, leader of Worthing Labour group, said her party won due to a "perfect storm of very strong community activism, demographic change, local Conservative complacency and the national picture".
Dr Cooper told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the party was "absolutely ready" to take control with a 100-day plan.
"Our priorities include our housing crisis - we don't have enough council or social housing," she said.
And newly-elected Marine ward councillor Andy Whight (Labour) compared the result to "winning the World Cup".
Hove's Labour MP Peter Kyle tweeted, external his party's success in Worthing was "proof that Labour is reconnecting to traditional coastal communities".
Labour leader Paul Barnett believes the climate emergency was a priority for Hastings voters
Along the coast in Hastings, former Labour leader and councillor of 20 years, Kim Forward, was unseated in the Gensing ward.
Paul Barnett, who took over as Labour leader a month ago, said: "We're still the largest party and I look forward to the conversations to see how we take forward the agenda that we have for Hastings.
"As far at the public is concerned what they're saying very clearly is: 'We need help with housing, poverty and terrible problems over health in Hastings, but we also care passionately about the climate emergency'."
Analysis
By Ben Weisz, BBC Radio Sussex Political Reporter, in Worthing
In Worthing, dozens of Labour activists whooped, cheered and cried tears of joy - winning a historic majority just five years after getting their first borough councillor here.
How did they do it? A mixture of younger, left-er voters moving in from places like Brighton, a tight campaigning operation that built momentum, and local disillusion with local and national issues from planning applications to Partygate.
Wistful Tories tell me that after years in power, voters felt ready for a change but, proud of their record, they're preparing to hold Labour's feet to the fire if things start to go wrong.
Elsewhere in Sussex, a less rosy picture for the party. They lost their overall majority in Hastings after several seats fell to the Greens.
Victory in Worthing sets a cat among the political pigeons - but as first-time council leader Beccy Cooper told me herself - governing is always trickier than campaigning.
POSTCODE SEARCH: What are the election results in my area?
NOTIFICATIONS: Sign up for Northern Ireland election alerts
Follow BBC South East on Facebook, external, on Twitter, external, and on Instagram, external. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk.