Government 'minded to go ahead' with East Sussex council reorganisation
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) plans are likely to move ahead in East Sussex, a minister has said.
On Thursday (October 29), local government minister Jim McMahon said the government is “minded to go ahead” with LGR plans for Brighton and East Sussex, following a pause and review.
The LGR plans, announced in July, are expected to see the creation of two unitary authorities. One based around the existing boundaries of East Sussex minus part of Lewes District and another covering an expanded Brighton and Hove.
The two authorities would replace the area’s seven existing councils, including East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council.
The announcement has seen criticism from Lewes District Council leader Zoe Nicholson, who said: “We are shocked and deeply disappointed by the government’s decision to press ahead with proposals that our residents have resoundingly rejected.
“This announcement once again fails to provide any meaningful evidence to justify the annexation of parts of Lewes district. Throughout this process, we have consistently asked the government to set out the evidence for its proposals. The fact that it has been unable to do so speaks volumes.”
She added: “The government may have announced its preferred course of action, but it has not won the argument. We will continue to stand alongside our residents and challenge decisions that we believe are not in the best interests of our communities.”
Earlier this month, East Sussex County Council confirmed it had formally launched a legal challenge to the government’s LGR plans.
At the time, A spokesperson for the county council said: “We have lodged an application for judicial review challenging the Secretary of State’s decision on LGR (local government reorganisation) which would see 26,000 people being transferred across the boundary to Brighton and Hove.
“This is despite residents in the affected areas consistently raising serious concerns and overwhelmingly saying they wish to remain in East Sussex.
“The application has been lodged on a protective basis to preserve the council’s position in relation to the applicable legal time limit while the government’s review is undertaken. We are seeking a stay of the proceedings pending the outcome of that review, at which point it will consider its next steps.
“We maintain that reorganisation would work best keeping East Sussex together and remain focused on delivering excellent services to residents.”
The government says there will be a further round of public consultation, lasting a minimum of three weeks, before any final decision is taken.
Brighton and East Sussex are one of only five areas where the government intends to move ahead with its previously-announced LGR decisions.
The remaining areas in the programme — 15 in total — have either had their decisions withdrawn or are awaiting any decision at all. West Sussex is in later category.
Planned local elections are still expected to go ahead in May 2027. The new unitary councils are expected to hold shadow elections in May 2028 and take over from the existing councils in 2029.
The government has said “all areas with previous decisions” will receive £450,000 to cover costs incurred in implementing reorganisation.