Liberal Democrats won the largest number of Eastbourne’s seats in the East Sussex County Council election, while Reform made huge gains across Wealden.

Eastbourne’s election count took place at the Welcome Building, in Compton Street, on Friday, May 8.

Prior to this year’s election, six of the nine wards in Eastbourne were held by Lib Dems; two were held by Conservatives and another by the Green Party.

Voter turnout in Eastbourne was 44.02 per cent – an increase from 36.56 per cent in 2021.

The election count in Eastbourne. Photo: staff

placeholder image — The election count in Eastbourne. Photo: staff

The Lib Dems had the strongest showing of the day, securing seven out of nine seats across Eastbourne.

Several Lib Dem councillors held onto their wards, including Colin Swansborough, the incumbent in Hampden Park since 2017, and Alan Shuttleworth who has been a councillor in Langney since 2011.

Cllr Swansborough said: “Thank you very much to anybody who supported us in Hampden Park.

“I’m very pleased to go back to serving the people of Hampden Park as I have for the last ten years.”

Cllr Shuttleworth added: “I shall continue to work hard for the people of Langney to the best of my ability.

“There’s always a lot to do, but I will work hard to fight for improvements in the area.”

Eastbourne Borough Council leader Stephen Holt also kept his seat in Devonshire, beating second-place Reform by more than 600 votes.

Cllr Holt said he was ‘absolutely thrilled’.

“It’s a fantastic election result for the team, but also the town,” he said.

"We’re really grateful for the support that people showed us again. We’re here to serve the public. Regardless of however you voted, we’re here to serve you, our residents.

"That’s my number one priority.”

Reform gained its first county council seat in Eastbourne, with Councillor Roy Peché taking Sovereign from the Conservative’s Penny Di Cara.

The Conservatives’ Colin Belsey, chairman of the East Sussex Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee, held onto Ratton where he has been a county councillor since 2009.

Brett Wright – who was elected as a Lib Dem in a 2023 by-election, but defected to the Green Party in February – lost Meads to the Lib Dems’ Jack Morrell.

Cllr Morrell said: “I'm delighted. We all worked very hard to win.

"I'm grateful to the amazing residents of Meads who put their trust in me to stand as their councillor.

“We're getting started right away, there's lots of work to do. I've been campaigning already to improve the reliability of the 3a and 3 bus service; fixing our appalling roads and pavements which have been left in an absolute state by the Conservative county council who have been in charge for the last 25 years.”

Here are the full results for Eastbourne:

Devonshire (35.29% turnout): Daniel De Rozarieux, Conservative Party: 297; Mike Dickens, Green Party: 492; Keith Vernon Gell, Independent: 51; Stephen Holt, Liberal Democrats: 1,520; Chris Pettitt, Reform UK: 904; Paul Adrian Richards, Labour and Cooperative Party: 186. LIB DEM HOLD

Hampden Park (37.48% turnout): Moz Hussain, Conservative Party: 248; Dave Poole, Independent: 62; Margaret Elizabeth Robinson, The Labour Party: 93; Colin Richard Swansborough, Liberal Democrats: 1,275; Bernard Christopher Tominey, Reform UK: 959; Zuza Zak, The Green Party: 223. LIB DEM HOLD

Langney (36.59% turnout): Nick Ansell, Conservative Party: 196; Ian Charles Garbutt, UKIP: 30; Angela Mary Goodchild, Labour Party: 39; Mike McCarthy, Reform UK: 1,009; Carla Sheppard, Green Party: 132; Alan Shuttleworth, Liberal Democrats: 1,396. LIB DEM HOLD

Meads (53.14% turnout): Peter James Bucklitsch, Reform: 1,054; Jack Morrell, Liberal Democrats: 1,553; Dennis Leslie Scard, Labour Party: 129; Robert Christopher Smart, Conservatives: 1,110; Brett Anthony Wright, Green: 682. GREEN LOSS, LIB DEM GAIN

Old Town (51.74% turnout): Dave Brinson, Labour Party: 93; Peter Robert Diplock, Liberal Democrats: 2,461; Jessica Gail Gisby, Conservative Party: 475; Martine Horvath, Heritage Party: 39; James Luke Norris, Reform UK: 787; Pauline Von Hellermann, Green Party: 403. LIB DEM HOLD

Ratton (50.07% turnout): David Charles Alfred, Reform UK: 993; Colin Sidney Belsey, Conservative Party: 1,174; Ben Burbridge, Green Party: 239; Gary James Fry, Labour Party: 86; Jim Murray, Liberal Democrats: 1,134. CON HOLD

Sovereign (45.89 per cent turnout): Penny Di Cara, Conservative: 1,212; Eniki Kalo, Green: 268; Tom Nevill, Liberal Democrats: 1,041; Roy Peché, Reform: 1,617; John Mitchell Stewart Sailing, Labour: 113. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

St Anthony’s (42.73% turnout): Anthony Joseph Bracuti, Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition: 31; John Lambert, Labour Party: 76; Rosie Jessica Moon, Conservative Party: 477; Hugh Wayne Parker, Liberal Democrats: 1,471; John Shuttle, Green: 297; Dave Watt, Reform: 1,223. LIB DEM HOLD

Upperton (44.11% turnout): Colin Charles Akers, Reform UK: 915; Kathy Ballard, Liberal Democrats: 1,820; Lisa Jane Gillette, Labour Party: 107; Yasin Shamsuddin Salazar, Green Party: 439; Carolann Van Dinter, Conservative Party: 493. LIB DEM HOLD.

Reform made huge gains across Wealden, securing ten out of 15 seats – many of them previously occupied by the Conservatives.

Reform also gained Hailsham Market from the Lib Dems. The seat’s incumbent, Steve Murphy, lost out his seat to Neil Cleaver, a long-serving district councillor who had previously been elected on a Liberal Democrat ticket.

The Green Party gained a seat in Maresfield & Buxted, and maintained their seat in Forest Row & Groombridge.

Independent candidate Stephen Shing also held onto his seat in Willingdon and South Downs.

Here are the full results for Wealden:

Arlington, East Hoathly & Hellingly: Nick Bennett, Conservative Party: 1,176; William Boone, Reform UK: 1784; Ricardo Canha, Green Party: 835; Brendan Robert Clegg, Labour Party: 133; Laura Jane Murphy, Liberal Democrats: 789. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Crowborough North & Jarvis Brook: Catherine Fielding, Reform UK: 1,804; Nigel James Fox, Green Party: 427; Bev Johnstone, Liberal Democrats: 1,414; Jeannette Elizabeth Towey, Conservative Party: 1,120. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Crowborough South & St Johns: Alison Clare Arthur, Liberal Democrats: 1,166; Martyn Everitt, Green Party: 376; Sarah Jury, Reform UK: 1,742; Neil Harry Waller, Independent: 282; Andrew James Ashton Wilson, Conservative Party: 1,233. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Forest Row & Groombridge: Edward Butler, Conservative Party: 1,163; Julia Barbara Chowaniec, Liberal Democrats: 278; Andrew Joad, Reform UK: 1,091; Georgia Widdicombe Taylor, Green Party: 1,863. GREEN HOLD

Hailsham Market: Jordan Woonton Beech, Conservative Party: 456; Neil Andrew Cleaver, Reform UK: 1,455; Steve Murphy, Liberal Democrats: 1,099; Ali Stevens, Green Party: 356. LIB DEM LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Hailsham New Town: Gavin Michael Blake-Coggins, Liberal Democrats: 800; Trevor Leslie Botting, Conservative Party: 500; Barry William Carpenter, Independent: 768; Paul Soane, Reform UK: 1,192; Simon Wells, Green Party: 248. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Heathfield & Mayfield: Anne Barbara Blake-Coggins, Liberal Democrats: 403; Teresa Jane Blaxland, Conservative Party: 1,288; Jessika Simone Hulbert, Green Party: 1,222; Steve Taylor, Labour Party: 177; Andy Woolley, Reform UK: 1,480. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Maresfield & Buxted: Christina Nanna Mary Coleman, Green Party: 1,754; Roy Galley, Conservative Party: 1,752; Gary Peter Johnson, Reform UK: 1,371; Tim Murray, Liberal Democrats: 380. CON LOSS, GREEN GAIN

Pevensey & Stone Cross: Lee Stephen Comfort, Labour Party: 118; Mark Fairweather, Liberal Democrats: 941; Xander Gottlieb, Green Party: 278; Tom Liddiard, Conservative Party: 658; Roger David Lincoln, Reform: 1,490; Mike Pursglove, UK Independence Party (UKIP) 84. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Polegate & Watermill: Katrina Ruth Best, Liberal Democrats: 498; Mickey Caira, Reform UK: 1,466; James Heward, Conservative Party: 398; Jake Ethan Lambert, Labour Party: 95; Debbie Lillington, Green Party: 253; Daniel Dak Yan Shing, Independent: 1,420. INDEPENDENT LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Uckfield North: Michelle Coates, Green Party: 407; Claire Barbara Dowling, Conservative Party: 785; John Charles Rhodes, Reform UK: 1,082; Dylan Underhill, Labour Party: 138; Kelvin John Williams, Liberal Democrats: 1,113. CON LOSS, LIB DEM GAIN

Uckfield South with Framfield: Kathy Butler, Liberal Democrats: 836; Linda Margaret Churnside, Green Party: 487; Ben Sebastian Cox, Labour and Co-operative Party: 362; Christopher David Dowling, Conservative Party: 1,017; Peter Griffiths, Reform UK: 1,322. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Wealden East: Bob Bowdler, Conservative Party: 1,378; Laurence Victor Keeley, Independent: 129; Tracey Jane Lovewell, Liberal Democrats: 452; Velvet Mason, Green Party: 1,072; Stephen Potts, Reform UK: 1,925; Barry Anthony Simons, Labour Party: 171. CON LOSS, REFORM GAIN

Wealden North East: Michael Barrett, Reform UK: 1,037; Serena Jane Gadd, Independent: 321; Michael Peter Lunn, Conservative Party: 1,457; Ben Sherlock, Green Party: 652; Barbara Susan Taylor, Liberal Democrats: 451; James Robert William, Labour Party: 259. CON HOLD

Willingdon & South Downs: Dionne Joanne Michelle Daniel, Liberal Democrats: 841; David Goulson, Green Party: 300; Paul William Hunt, Labour Party: 65; Stephen Sai Hung Shing, Independent: 1,618; Ben Smith, Reform UK: 1,180; Nicholas Taylor, Conservative Party: 505. INDEPENDENT HOLD