Government ignoring local opinion - new council leader

2 hours ago

Lucinda AdamSussex political reporter

Newly-elected East Sussex County Council leader Andy Woolley, of Reform UK, said there was "clear and consistent opposition" to plans to expand Brighton and Hove

Reform UK Andy Woolley has short blond hair. He wears a navy suit and a light blue shirt. — Newly-elected East Sussex County Council leader Andy Woolley, of Reform UK, said there was "clear and consistent opposition" to plans to expand Brighton and Hove

The new leader of East Sussex County Council called for government ministers to urgently listen to the opinions of local people on plans for council reorganisation.

Reform UK's Andy Woolley said that the government was ignoring "clear, repeated local opposition" to its proposal to move 23,900 residents of Peacehaven, Telscombe, East Saltdean and Falmer into an expanded Brighton & Hove City Council from 2028.

Meanwhile, West Sussex leaders have written to the government asking for more information about how it wants to divide the county into two.

A government spokesperson said local government reorganisation would mean "people will know exactly who is responsible to them for local services".

Steve Reed's modified plan to reorganise Sussex and Brighton into four new unitary authorities

Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government A map of Sussex split into four sections - Chichester, Horsham and Crawley in orange, Worthing, Arun and Adur in purple, Brighton in red, and East Sussex in green — Steve Reed's modified plan to reorganise Sussex and Brighton into four new unitary authorities

In March, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, delayed a decision on reorganising councils in Sussex and Brighton due to "concerns regarding all four of the proposals I received".

Instead, he put forward his own modified plan, which included allowing Brighton and Hove to expand its footprint east into areas that are currently part of East Sussex.

Woolley said: "Residents have consistently raised serious concerns. It's a pattern of sustained and meaningful objection.

"If we are serious about local democracy, then local voices must count. Especially when they're expressed so clearly and so consistently."

Leaders of the new West Sussex coalition - Martin McCabe, Ian Davey, Donna Johnson and Jay Mercer

LDRS Martin McCabe, Ian Davey, Donna Johnson and Jay Mercer in formal clothing, smiling for the camera. Johnson is wearing a mayoral medallion. — Leaders of the new West Sussex coalition - Martin McCabe, Ian Davey, Donna Johnson and Jay Mercer

The modified plans for West Sussex would see the county divided into two, placing Chichester, Crawley, Horsham and Mid Sussex into one authority, serving a population of about 566,000, with Arun, Adur and Worthing in another, serving a population of about 349,000.

The new coalition leadership of Liberal Democrats, Greens, Labour and an independent favour the county being divided into two. But the previous Conservative leadership had argued for it to be one single authority.

The leaders of all eight existing councils favour aligning Chichester with Arun, Adur and Worthing instead, as they argue it is more economically viable.

Last week, leaders met with Alison McGovern, Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, seeking clarification about the plans.

Adrian Moss, leader of Chichester District Council, said: "She was not able to give us any additional information with regard to the government proposals in terms of the financial impact and how the proposals were formulated."

Leaders have now written to McGovern expressing their concerns over her responses.

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said local government reorganisation would speed up the construction of new homes and infrastructure, improve public services and boost regional growth "to put more money in peoples' pockets, including in East Sussex".

Public consultation

At the end of 2024, the government announced plan for a "devolution revolution" to reorganise councils and give every region elected mayors to boost local power and economic growth.

In September 2025, councils across Brighton and Hove and East and West Sussex submitted detailed plans about how to replace them with new unitary authorities.

Residents, businesses and organisations have been invited to make their views on the modified plans known in a public consultation, which closes on Monday.

The next update from the government is expected in July.

The government says elections for new unitary authorities for Sussex and Brighton will go ahead in May 2027.

After a shadow year, they will take over running local services from May 2028, to coincide with the election of the first mayor of Sussex and Brighton.

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