Lewes MP speaks out against plans to postpone May elections

Lewes MP James MacCleary has spoken out against plans by East Sussex County Council to postpone this May’s elections. Councillors met to discuss the proposal just before the Sussex Express went to press this week.

The MP says: "The government is pressing forward with local government reorganisation that could see all of East Sussex’s District and Borough councils and the County Council replaced with a single, new unitary authority. Councils have been given the option to apply to have their elections postponed pending the reorganisation.

"There have been repeated proposals to turn East Sussex into a unitary authority but all previous attempts have been rejected by the Conservatives. After a series of by-election defeats and councillors leaving the Conservatives, the party lost their majority on the County Council last year but clung on to control through having the Chair’s casting vote."

He has dubbed the proposal as 'a desperate attempt by the Conservatives to cling onto power by suspending local democracy.' And he believes postponing this May’s elections is fundamentally wrong. "The Labour government is rushing these reforms and Conservatives are using it as an excuse to avoid the judgement of local electors on their appalling record running our county. By suspending our election, Labour ministers would be giving this lame duck administration power over the future of local government in East Sussex."

Mr MacCleary is writing to the minister to urge him to go ahead with elections in May as planned and give Lewes constituency residents the right to express their views on over twenty years of Conservative mismanagement of East Sussex County Council. He feels they should be leading on our behalf for local government reorganisation discussions.

Susan King Senior Reporter Sussex Express Mobile 07976 800 195