Councillors to have a say on local government reorganisation
All county councillors will be able to take part in decisions about what comes next for local government in East Sussex.
East Sussex County Council debated a motion linked to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) which is expected to see the region’s existing councils replaced with a new form of unitary authorities
The motion called on the council to sign-up to a process through which a formal strategy will need to be endorsed in an all-member vote.
It had been put forward by Conservative, Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors.
Green Party group leader Julia Hilton said: “I am pleased to be able to bring this motion that has cross party support to ensure full council is fully involved in shaping what is the biggest transformation in local government for decades.
“At the moment, the entire process is left to the executive and in a minority controlled council it is even more important that all voices are heard in shaping our plans going forward to move to a new structure of single tier government in East Sussex.”
Liberal Democrat leader Kathryn Field and Conservative leader Paul Redstone offered similar words of support.
The proposal also saw support from the council’s Reform UK group.
Council leader Andy Woolley said he had expected there would be full council votes on LGR decisions “as a matter of course.”
But the council leader also warned that “risks” in the LGR process may make it difficult to achieve all of what the motion set out.
He said: “I am happy that this is not just an executive decision. I would like it to be a decision right across the council, because I think that is democratic. That is the right way.”
He added: “So I have no objection to this motion, personally. I will leave the vote to my councillors individually to make their own choice, but I think a prudent and professional council like East Sussex would actually generate a plan and actually stick and work to it.
“My concern is that with all the risk factors that we’ve got within the LGR process I think it may be more difficult than we think to get to that point before next May.”
He said the council was expecting the government to announce its decision on LGR as soon as Thursday (July 16).
This motion requires the council to produce a Local Government Reorganisation Strategy and Implementation Plan, which could only be adopted through a full council vote.
The document would set out a framework within which the council would make decisions connected with LGR.