Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution

1. 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.
2. 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.

Find out more in our short video which explains these changes:

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 are discussing how this might be arranged. They have agreed to develop a detailed proposal 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.

A public engagement survey is open until 23 June 2025: www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/EastSussexLGR/

2. Devolution

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 2026.

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, Secretary of State for Local Government, announced on 5 February that it would include a Sussex mayoral combined authority in its priority programme for devolution in England.

A public consultation on devolution for Sussex closed in April 2025.

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 2026.

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 will be submitted to the government in September 2025. If accepted by Government, elections to the new council or councils would take place in 2027.

The new body would start work in April 2028 and East Sussex County Council and the five district or borough councils would cease to exist.