On Wednesday (November 19), the government launched its LGR consultation for Sussex and Brighton, asking residents for views on four models put forward by the area’s existing councils.
These are: the One East Sussex model, which proposes replacing the county’s existing councils with a single unitary authority; the Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex model, which proposes the creation of five unitary councils across the whole area; and two competing models for West Sussex.
In East Sussex, four councils — Eastbourne Borough Council, East Sussex County Council, Lewes District Council and Rother District Council — had formally endorsed the One East Sussex model as their sole final submission to the government.
The leaders of these four councils have each called on residents to take part in the government’s consultation.
Councillor Keith Glazier, leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “We welcome the inclusion of our One East Sussex plan, which we feel offers the best quality and value to our residents and businesses and we are proud of the robust evidence-base and solid partnership working the plan was built on.
“It’s now important that the people who will be most affected by any changes make their views clear to central government so they can properly understand the impact each proposal could have before they make a final decision.”
A similar view was shared by Councillor Doug Oliver, leader of Rother District Council. He said: “I would urge residents and businesses across Rother to take part in the consultation and give their views on the options put forward.
“Rother District Council proposed the One East Sussex plan to government as it will save money, improve services, and keep the current county boundary intact. But it is now up to people to decide which option they think will deliver the best outcomes and makes sense financially.”
Eastbourne Borough Council leader Stephen Holt urged residents to endorse the One East Sussex model in their consultation responses.
He said: “Today’s consultation opening is a crucial step forward, and our message to the government and our residents is crystal clear: One East Sussex is the best path for our county. It offers the financial resilience, service integration, and strong, unified voice needed to truly meet the challenges and unlock the opportunities of the 21st century.
“Given the criteria set out by Westminster, I do believe that our One East Sussex model is the only model which can deliver significant economies of scale, increase accountability, reduce bureaucratic duplication, and free up vital funding to protect and improve frontline services.
“It was also clear in our consultations that this was the proposal that was most strongly supported by residents. We urge everyone to engage with the consultation and — when doing so — support One East Sussex.”
Councillor Zoe Nicholson, leader of Lewes District Council, took a similar position, while also criticising the Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex model, which had been put forward by Brighton and Hove City Council.
This model would involve the drawing of new boundaries, with what is currently Lewes district split across three separate councils and what is currently Wealden district split across two councils.
Cllr Nicholson said: “We are concerned that the Brighton and Hove business case has not been subject to sufficient consultation and does not meet the government’s own requirements.
“If adopted, it will fragment Lewes district and weaken the ability of communities to shape their future.
“By contrast, the One East Sussex proposal offers a coherent and inclusive vision for the whole county, ensuring strong representation and sustainable services.
“I encourage residents to support One East Sussex, which keeps our communities together and gives us a stronger voice.”
The other two authorities in East Sussex — Hastings Borough Council and Wealden District Council — had taken a different route to their neighbours.
Hastings chose to submit three proposals to the government (including the One East Sussex model) and Wealden opted to make no submission at all.
Hastings Borough Council’s other submissions included a “federated” model of LGR, which had been developed by the authority’s Hastings Independents Group.
This model proposed a phased transition from the current two-tier system to a “borough and district-led single-tier model.” This would effectively see the county council abolished with its responsibilities and services devolved to the existing borough and district councils.
The model would also have involved the creation of departmental boards responsible for overseeing the services currently delivered by the county council, such as adult social care and education.
The other alternative proposal, developed by the Hastings Labour group, involves the creation of a “coastal unitary” council. This would effectively have involved splitting East Sussex into at least two new unitary authorities, grouping together Hastings and other coastal towns.
This proposal was somewhat similar to, but distinct from, the arrangements set out in the Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex model.
Following the consultation announcement, a Hastings Borough Council spokesman said: “We welcome the government’s consultation on the One East Sussex proposal but we are disappointed that the other options that we submitted have not been included, particularly the district and borough model which was the most favoured model among Hastings residents in our engagement.
“We will continue to work cross-party to get the best deal for Hastings.”
At time of publication, Wealden District Council has not issued a statement on the consultation.
Brighton and Hove City Council endorsed its own model, titled Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex. This model proposes the creation of five, roughly equally-sized, unitary councils across the whole area.
One of these new unitary councils would be formed by combining Brighton and Hove with four wards and a parish from what is currently Lewes district.
Another would be made up of Eastbourne, Hastings, Rother plus five wards from Lewes and nine wards from Wealden.
A third unitary would comprise Mid Sussex plus 34 wards from Wealden and ten wards from Lewes.
The other two unitary councils would be within West Sussex. One would be made up of Chichester, Crawley and Horsham, while the other would comprise Adur, Arun and Worthing.
Councils in West Sussex also endorsed their own models.
West Sussex County Council have proposed a single unitary council covering the whole of the county.
Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council, Mid-Sussex District Council and Worthing Borough Council each endorsed the creation of two unitary councils for the same area.
These two unitary councils would take the same form as those proposed by the Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex model.
The government says it has “not yet made any formal assessment” of any of the four proposals. It says this process will be completed only after the consultation process has concluded, so all evidence can be considered.
The consultation itself is due to run until January 11, 2026 and can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/east-sussex-and-brighton-and-hove-local-government-reorganisation .
It poses eight questions of each proposal:
1. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal suggests a council that is based on a sensible geography and economic area?
2. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council will be able to deliver the outcomes described in the proposal?
3. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council is the right size to be efficient, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks?
4. To what extent do you agree or disagree that this proposal will put local government in the area as a whole on a firmer footing, particularly given that some councils in the area are in receipt of Exceptional Financial Support?
5. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council will deliver high quality, sustainable public services?
6. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal has been informed by local views and will meet local needs?
7. To what extent do you agree or disagree that establishing the council in this proposal will support devolution arrangements, for example, the establishment of a strategic authority?
8. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal enables stronger community engagement and gives the opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment?
The consultation also offers a free text box for further comment.
On Wednesday (November 19), the government launched its LGR consultation for Sussex and Brighton, asking residents for views on four models put forward by the area’s existing councils.
These are: the One East Sussex model, which proposes replacing the county’s existing councils with a single unitary authority; the Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex model, which proposes the creation of five unitary councils across the whole area; and two competing models for West Sussex.
In East Sussex, four councils — Eastbourne Borough Council, East Sussex County Council, Lewes District Council and Rother District Council — had formally endorsed the One East Sussex model as their sole final submission to the government.
The leaders of these four councils have each called on residents to take part in the government’s consultation.
Councillor Keith Glazier, leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “We welcome the inclusion of our One East Sussex plan, which we feel offers the best quality and value to our residents and businesses and we are proud of the robust evidence-base and solid partnership working the plan was built on.
“It’s now important that the people who will be most affected by any changes make their views clear to central government so they can properly understand the impact each proposal could have before they make a final decision.”
A similar view was shared by Councillor Doug Oliver, leader of Rother District Council. He said: “I would urge residents and businesses across Rother to take part in the consultation and give their views on the options put forward.
“Rother District Council proposed the One East Sussex plan to government as it will save money, improve services, and keep the current county boundary intact. But it is now up to people to decide which option they think will deliver the best outcomes and makes sense financially.”
Eastbourne Borough Council leader Stephen Holt urged residents to endorse the One East Sussex model in their consultation responses.
He said: “Today’s consultation opening is a crucial step forward, and our message to the government and our residents is crystal clear: One East Sussex is the best path for our county. It offers the financial resilience, service integration, and strong, unified voice needed to truly meet the challenges and unlock the opportunities of the 21st century.
“Given the criteria set out by Westminster, I do believe that our One East Sussex model is the only model which can deliver significant economies of scale, increase accountability, reduce bureaucratic duplication, and free up vital funding to protect and improve frontline services.
“It was also clear in our consultations that this was the proposal that was most strongly supported by residents. We urge everyone to engage with the consultation and — when doing so — support One East Sussex.”
Councillor Zoe Nicholson, leader of Lewes District Council, took a similar position, while also criticising the Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex model, which had been put forward by Brighton and Hove City Council.
This model would involve the drawing of new boundaries, with what is currently Lewes district split across three separate councils and what is currently Wealden district split across two councils.
Cllr Nicholson said: “We are concerned that the Brighton and Hove business case has not been subject to sufficient consultation and does not meet the government’s own requirements.
“If adopted, it will fragment Lewes district and weaken the ability of communities to shape their future.
“By contrast, the One East Sussex proposal offers a coherent and inclusive vision for the whole county, ensuring strong representation and sustainable services.
“I encourage residents to support One East Sussex, which keeps our communities together and gives us a stronger voice.”
The other two authorities in East Sussex — Hastings Borough Council and Wealden District Council — had taken a different route to their neighbours.
Hastings chose to submit three proposals to the government (including the One East Sussex model) and Wealden opted to make no submission at all.
Hastings Borough Council’s other submissions included a “federated” model of LGR, which had been developed by the authority’s Hastings Independents Group.
This model proposed a phased transition from the current two-tier system to a “borough and district-led single-tier model.” This would effectively see the county council abolished with its responsibilities and services devolved to the existing borough and district councils.
The model would also have involved the creation of departmental boards responsible for overseeing the services currently delivered by the county council, such as adult social care and education.
The other alternative proposal, developed by the Hastings Labour group, involves the creation of a “coastal unitary” council. This would effectively have involved splitting East Sussex into at least two new unitary authorities, grouping together Hastings and other coastal towns.
This proposal was somewhat similar to, but distinct from, the arrangements set out in the Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex model.
Following the consultation announcement, a Hastings Borough Council spokesman said: “We welcome the government’s consultation on the One East Sussex proposal but we are disappointed that the other options that we submitted have not been included, particularly the district and borough model which was the most favoured model among Hastings residents in our engagement.
“We will continue to work cross-party to get the best deal for Hastings.”
At time of publication, Wealden District Council has not issued a statement on the consultation.
Brighton and Hove City Council endorsed its own model, titled Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex. This model proposes the creation of five, roughly equally-sized, unitary councils across the whole area.
One of these new unitary councils would be formed by combining Brighton and Hove with four wards and a parish from what is currently Lewes district.
Another would be made up of Eastbourne, Hastings, Rother plus five wards from Lewes and nine wards from Wealden.
A third unitary would comprise Mid Sussex plus 34 wards from Wealden and ten wards from Lewes.
The other two unitary councils would be within West Sussex. One would be made up of Chichester, Crawley and Horsham, while the other would comprise Adur, Arun and Worthing.
Councils in West Sussex also endorsed their own models.
West Sussex County Council have proposed a single unitary council covering the whole of the county.
Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council, Mid-Sussex District Council and Worthing Borough Council each endorsed the creation of two unitary councils for the same area.
These two unitary councils would take the same form as those proposed by the Representative Councils for a Devolved Sussex model.
The government says it has “not yet made any formal assessment” of any of the four proposals. It says this process will be completed only after the consultation process has concluded, so all evidence can be considered.
The consultation itself is due to run until January 11, 2026 and can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/collections/east-sussex-and-brighton-and-hove-local-government-reorganisation .
It poses eight questions of each proposal:
1. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal suggests a council that is based on a sensible geography and economic area?
2. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council will be able to deliver the outcomes described in the proposal?
3. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council is the right size to be efficient, improve capacity and withstand financial shocks?
4. To what extent do you agree or disagree that this proposal will put local government in the area as a whole on a firmer footing, particularly given that some councils in the area are in receipt of Exceptional Financial Support?
5. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposed council will deliver high quality, sustainable public services?
6. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal has been informed by local views and will meet local needs?
7. To what extent do you agree or disagree that establishing the council in this proposal will support devolution arrangements, for example, the establishment of a strategic authority?
8. To what extent do you agree or disagree that the proposal enables stronger community engagement and gives the opportunity for neighbourhood empowerment?
The consultation also offers a free text box for further comment.
For more info, check our website.
