Sussex devolution: Adur & Worthing Councils publish response to government consultation

If plans go ahead, central government will combine elements of East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council to develop the new authority – changing the nature of political representation enjoyed by residents.

The plans were announced earlier this year, not long after the publication of the government white paper on devolution in December 2024, which set out plans to, according to the government, move power out and away from Westminster and back into smaller communities up and down the country.

If approved, the first Mayor of Sussex could be elected as early as May next year.

Jeremy Gardner, leader of Adur District Council, said: “Devolution must be rooted in what matters most to our residents, and we are committed to ensuring their voices are heard and acted upon."

Sophie Cox, leader of Worthing Borough Council, said: “Whether it's developing our seafront, strengthening our local economy, or creating opportunities for all, we are committed to an approach that puts people first.

"We are ambitious about what can be achieved when we work together with our communities and ensure their voices are heard loudly throughout the process of moving towards a new mayoral combined authority.”

Adur and Worthing Councils have submitted their response to the government’s consultation on plans for a new Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) in Sussex – ‘drawing on initial conversations with community groups, businesses, staff and councillors’.

"The councils welcome the potential for devolution to unlock major investment, but said the new authority must reflect local priorities and deliver real results for communities,” a councils spokesperson said.

"In December 2024, the government published the English Devolution White Paper. This sets out plans to move power out of Westminster and back to local communities, and Sussex is set to be one of the first areas in England to elect a new mayor as part of the devolution priority programme.

"A government consultation on the plans for the new authority was launched with residents and businesses earlier this year. After seeking initial views of business and community leaders at a series of in-person events and listening to councillors and input from staff, Adur & Worthing Councils have now published their response to the consultation.”

The councils have highlighted the MCCA’s ‘potential to unlock larger-scale investment’, whilst raising the national profile of Sussex, and acting as a ‘powerful way to reset the relationship between local and central government’.

The spokesperson added: “Through talking to local businesses, the councils’ response noted support for countywide projects like Sussex Bay, which is led by Adur & Worthing councils, and emerging work on the Sussex Energy Plan – an ambitious plan to achieve net zero energy status in the Greater Brighton and wider Sussex area by 2040.

"By engaging with local stakeholders, the councils believe it is clear that social outcomes should be at the heart of the MCCA’s purpose. The councils agree that by integrating services like health, housing, and transport, the MCCA will be well placed to reduce inequalities and improve community wellbeing.

"The councils’ response includes a series of bold proposals for how the MCCA can deliver real results for residents, including new powers over skills and employment that will create tailored local programmes and better job opportunities, and investment in youth, culture, and leisure which will foster social cohesion and mental health improvements.”

The councils said they ‘strongly agree’ that the creation of the MCCA will ‘lead to improvements’ in the local natural environment.

They highlighted the opportunity to implement a ‘leading strategic approach’ to nature recovery across the county’s land, coast, and seascape.

"The county’s opportunity to lead on nature recovery and climate action through initiatives like Sussex Bay, the Rampion 2 wind farm, and Adur River restoration was also proposed by the councils as an important ambition for the new authority,” the councils added.

"As well as highlighting the benefits of the MCCA, Adur & Worthing Councils raised several areas of concern including a lack of voting rights for district and borough councils, as well as a risk of flattening local identity.

"The councils cautioned against creating a one-size-fits-all approach and stressed that the MCCA must be rooted in local voices, designed to improve lives, and focused on outcomes that matter to residents - something the councils are actively leading on with their council for the community focus.

"As part of the devolution programme, local government will be reorganised by replacing two-tier systems (county and district councils) with single-tier unitary authorities.”

In order to ensure that local voices – ‘including those from underrepresented groups’ – are heard, the councils will be launching a participation programme called Thriving Together.

This will enable the community to ‘help shape the councils’ proposals for local government reorganisation’.

To find out more about Thriving Together and to read the councils’ consultation response in more detail, visit https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/devolution/.