Lewes District Council leader condemns plans to suspend county council elections

Devolution is the watchword, moving power out of Westminster and nearer to people, a goal which is a good one. However, this is really a smokescreen for the shutting down of district councils and creating super councils.

Ministers want a single person, a mayor, they can talk to in Whitehall. For us, this will almost certainly cover Sussex, although it might also include Surrey.

The mayor would have far-reaching powers and access to funding - some devolved down from central government. We could see upgrades to our rail services or improvements to our bus services; imagine a single bus ticket from Seaford to Haywards Heath, all possible through devolution of power from Whitehall.

However, the mayor will also have the power of veto over house-building plans, reducing your say in where homes are built in your communities. Our county and district councils deliver different things, but the government is convinced that by creating a single authority there are savings to be made.

England’s 164 district councils provide local services that residents value. We empty the bins, clean the streets, look after green spaces, playgrounds, oversee the planning process, and provide leisure centres and a host of other services – all for around the price of a cup of coffee each week. This is incredibly good value and happens at a local level so that district councils are connected to residents.

A unitary East Sussex council covering a population of 554,000 would be five times as big as Lewes district now, so huge, remote and disconnected from local needs. This is the opposite of devolution - power being drawn up and away from local areas as the smaller districts are lost forever.

It’s also the indecent haste with which the government wants to move this forward that I oppose. I was told by the Conservative Leader of East Sussex County Council last week that the creation of a super East Sussex council was happening - there was no discussion or engagement with fellow councillors, let alone residents.

But even worse, East Sussex County Council is preparing to ask the government to suspend elections for two years. So a council that has been hanging on by a thread to power since 2023, is grabbing power in the name of ‘managing the transition’, doing the Labour government’s dirty work and shutting down district and borough councils by 2027.

It’s not up to the county council leader to decide who leads the creation of a new council, it’s up to the people, the voters. It gives a dying Conservative regime a total of six years in power, when you, the people, could be choosing new councillors and leaders.

If you don’t want the Conservatives at East Sussex County Council to continue in power for another two years, tell the government not to suspend elections in May 2025 and let you decide who should lead and implement their policies.

Email [email protected] to make sure your voice is heard before January 10.

Councillor Zoe Nicholson

Leader of Lewes District Council