Latest government consultation over the footprint of Lewes district
The government has launched a consultation about whether parts of Lewes District (Peacehaven, Telscombe, East Saltdean, and Falmer parish) should be transferred into Brighton and Hove. Residents and stakeholders are being encouraged to complete the simple online survey.
The latest government consultation will run from Tuesday 12 May to Monday 15 June 2026.
This consultation has been launched after government announced in March 2026 that, while accepting the 'positive strengths' of the One East Sussex proposal, it was unable to make a final decision on the make up of unitary council or councils in East Sussex and Brighton due to concerns over the proposed footprint of Brighton and Hove.
We have published a special digital edition of DN (District News), the council magazine, with exclusive content on the government's latest consultation on local government reorganisation.
What residents have already told us through previous consultations
From Friday 25 July to Monday 25 August, residents were asked to have their say on Brighton & Hove City Council's proposal to expand the city boundaries into Kingston ward, East Saltdean, Telscombe, Peacehaven and Newhaven.
Here's why we believe our plan for one big council for the whole of East Sussex makes most sense:
Larger authorities are more financially resilient than smaller ones. They are better equipped to handle both planned and unexpected costs, particularly in areas such as adult social care and children's services.
With UK local authorities facing a projected funding gap of £8.4 billion by 2028/29, savings are vital. Bringing services together as part of one larger authority helps reduce duplication, streamlines management, and delivers the savings needed.
A single authority can more effectively coordinate across departments like housing, transport, education, and health. Breaking up of services increases costs, lines of communication become blurred and specialist expertise could be lost.
Larger councils have greater capacity to deliver long-term infrastructure projects, manage housing development, and tackle challenges such as climate change and economic growth.
Current government guidance recommends unitary authorities serve populations exceeding 500,000 people. East Sussex, with approximately 550,000 residents, meets the criteria.
The push for a single unitary authority in East Sussex is also driven by the belief that it offers improved services, stronger finances, and more strategic leadership. By being smaller and breaking up services, these benefits could be lost.
Frequently Asked Questions
These FAQs explain the government's latest plans for local government reorganisation in East Sussex, what they could mean for Lewes district, and what residents have told us.
What is local government reorganisation?
LGR is a national government policy to simplify how councils operate. In East Sussex, it would replace the current two‑tier system (district and borough councils plus the county council) with unitary councils that deliver all local services.
What have councils in East Sussex proposed?
A detailed proposal known as One East Sussex was developed and submitted to government. This proposal would create a single unitary council covering the existing East Sussex boundary, serving around 550,000 residents.
Lewes District Council (LDC) supports the One East Sussex proposal because it keeps the county together, protects local communities, and avoids boundary changes that residents have repeatedly opposed.
What has the government proposed?
On March 25, 2026, the government announced it would delay a final decision on reorganisation and instead run a further "technical" consultation on a variation to the One East Sussex plan.
This variation would remove Peacehaven, Telscombe, East Saltdean, and Falmer parish from Lewes District - and transfer them to Brighton & Hove City Council (B&HCC).
Why are Lewes District Council leaders so concerned?
They believe this proposal would break up long‑established communities, destroy historic local identity, reduce local democratic voice, shift decisions away from small towns and villages to a large city authority and permanently redraw boundaries despite repeated public opposition.
What do residents think?
The message from residents has been clear and consistent:
Strong support for keeping East Sussex together
Clear opposition to any reorganisation involving Brighton & Hove City Council
Overwhelming backing for a single East Sussex unitary authority, rather than breaking the county into parts
What did residents say about moving into Brighton & Hove?
In areas proposed for transfer to Brighton & Hove - including communities in Lewes district - opposition was overwhelming.
Almost 9 in 10 respondents (89%) rejected the idea of their communities being moved into Brighton & Hove.
Responses described fears of losing local identity, influence, and control over development decisions.
Did residents support the One East Sussex model?
Yes. In consultation feedback, 74% of respondents said a single East Sussex unitary council was the only model that should be submitted to government.
Was there a separate consultation about Brighton & Hove expanding?
Yes. In summer 2025, Lewes District Council and East Sussex County Council ran a specific consultation on Brighton & Hove's proposed expansion into Lewes district.
That process also showed overwhelming opposition, and was accompanied by an online petition objecting to the takeover, which gathered more than 6,500 signatures.
Has the government run its own consultation?
Yes.
That consultation ran from November 19, 2025, to January 11, 2026, and invited residents, organisations and stakeholders to give their views on proposals for reorganising local government in the county.
Have the results of the government's consultation been published?
No.
Lewes District Council has raised concerns about this, particularly because:
Residents have already expressed clear views on boundary changes
The government is now consulting again on similar proposals
The evidence from its own earlier consultation has not been made public
Council leaders argue that repeating consultations without publishing previous results undermines trust and means communities are being asked to restate views the government already holds but has chosen not to release.
Why Is the government consulting again?
The latest consultation is focused solely on whether parts of Lewes district should be transferred to Brighton & Hove, even though previous feedback rejected this idea by a large margin.
Is LGR the same as devolution and having a Sussex mayor?
No. Devolution is a separate process.
Devolution would create a Sussex‑wide mayoral authority with powers over transport, skills and major strategy.
Local councils would still run day‑to‑day services.
Boundary changes are not required for devolution.
Why should residents respond again?
Despite around 14,000 consultation responses and 89% opposition in affected areas, the government is still considering this proposal. Lewes District Council says public responses remain essential to ensure residents' voices are impossible to ignore.
What happens after the consultation?
After reviewing responses, the government may accept the proposal, reject it or request further changes.
When would changes happen, if approved?
The current timetable laid out by government is:
Elections to any new authority taking place in 2027
New unitary council begins in 2028
Background to Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution in East Sussex
Reform of local government means two changes are planned which would affect people across East Sussex.
Reorganisation: Everyone would be served by just one council, providing all day-to-day services in East Sussex. This would replace the present two-tier system where some services are provided by the county council and some by the district or borough council.
Devolution: A strategic authority for the whole of Sussex, including an elected mayor, would have funding and powers to plan and decide long-term issues which affect the whole area.
1. Reorganisation of local government
The national government wants local government to reorganise. Its aim is for people to be served by just one local council (known as 'unitary government').
In East Sussex, this could mean moving away from the two-tier model of county council (East Sussex County Council) and borough or district councils (Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes district, Rother and Wealden).
All partners in East Sussex have discussed how this might be arranged. A detailed proposal has been developed for a single council on the current boundaries of East Sussex in response to the government's plans. This was agreed by the county council's cabinet in March 2025.
A single unitary council in East Sussex, which has a population of 550,000, best fits the government's guiding principles for new unitary authorities, which include that new councils should have a population of more than 500,000.
However, the six existing councils in East Sussex have also agreed that other proposals for unitary government may emerge if the government changes its guidance and after the views of residents, businesses and partners have been heard.
In September 2025, Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council submitted the following proposals and business case to government, along with East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council and Hastings Borough Council:
The government has agreed a proposal from East Sussex County Council and its neighbours for devolution across Sussex.
Devolution means drawing down more powers and funding to people in Sussex: allowing more decisions to be made locally rather than at a national level.
A new mayor for the whole of Sussex would be elected in May 2028.
The mayor and representatives each from East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council would form a mayoral combined county authority for Sussex.
The new combined authority would have powers for strategic issues including transport, housing, skills and employment, economy, environment and climate change, health and public safety.
The combined authority would work with local councils in East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove, which would continue to operate most day-to-day services.
Support for devolution
The government's White Paper on Devolution in England published in December 2024 asked local authorities to say how they would respond to the Government's intention to devolve more powers to local areas.
The cabinet of East Sussex County Council decided in January 2025 to proceed with the proposal for Sussex. after agreement with West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council.
Partners agreed it would be an opportunity to give the 1.7 million people in all parts of Sussex a stronger voice in how national decisions affect them and greater power to shape investment and major projects across the area.
Angela Rayner MP, announced on 5 February that it would include a Sussex mayoral combined authority in its priority programme for devolution in England.
What happens now?
There are no immediate changes to services or council operations.
The government is assessing the responses to the devolution consultation before introducing law which would enable a mayoral strategic authority for Sussex.
The election of a mayor for Sussex could take place in May 2028.
On reorganisation, leaders of all six councils in East Sussex have agreed to proceed with plans for a single unitary council for East Sussex. See: Council leaders' response to Government feedback
Final reorganisation proposals to create one or more unitary councils in East Sussex were submitted to the government in September 2025. If accepted by Government, elections to the new council or councils would take place in 2027.
On 25 March 2026, the Government announced that they will not make a decision about the future shape of Local Government in East Sussex at this stage. They are, after the County Council election in May, going to run a short further consultation seeking views on a variation to our One East Sussex proposal.
The variation would see Peacehaven, Telscombe and East Saltdean wards and Falmer parish (within the Kingston ward) transferred to Brighton and Hove. This was strongly opposed by those communities during our consultation and we will shortly be writing to the Secretary of State to seek clarification. Please find a link here to the Government's letter to Leaders across Sussex here: Local government reorganisation: update letter to Sussex council leaders
If plans are approved, the new authority or authorities would start work in 2028 and East Sussex County Council and the five district or borough councils would cease to exist.
Governance and expenditure
Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough Council, alongside other councils in East Sussex, have been undertaking work in response to the Government's invitation to develop proposals for Local Government Reorganisation.
This preparatory work is undertaken using the council's existing statutory powers, including the general power of competence and other relevant enabling powers, and is consistent with normal practice for major policy or structural change affecting local government.
All activity and associated expenditure is subject to the council's established governance arrangements, including:
member decision-making where required
officer delegations within the Constitution
Section 151 (Chief Finance Officer) oversight
Monitoring Officer oversight of legality and governance.
Proposals have been submitted to Government and are currently under consideration. Any future changes to local government structures would require formal Government approval, including a Structural Changes Order.
The councils will continue to ensure that all activity is undertaken in accordance with statutory requirements and its Best Value duty.
