Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution

Latest update - Thursday 16 July 2026: The Government has announced its decision to implement a modified version of the One East Sussex proposal for unitary local government for East Sussex. Read the Ministerial Statement here . This means that from April 2028, Brighton & Hove City Council would expand, to include the areas of East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe with the rest of East Sussex (including Falmer) forming a single "unitary" council.

Leaders of all six East Sussex councils have written jointly to Government to oppose the proposed modification to the One East Sussex proposal for local government reorganisation in East Sussex - read the letter here .

The government consultations over the footprint of Lewes district

From Tuesday 12 May to Monday 15 June 2026, the government ran a consultation about whether parts of Lewes District (Peacehaven, Telscombe, East Saltdean, and Falmer parish) should be transferred into Brighton and Hove.

MHCLG has published reports giving summaries of responses to the two most recent Government consultations over Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

These are available here:

You can read the letter from government here: Local government reorganisation: letter on potential modification to the proposal to East Sussex and Brighton and Hove council leaders

The government has indicated that the timeline for the start of the new unitary council remains April 2028.

Latest News

Leaders: "East Sussex would be even stronger as a whole."

Lewes District Council seeking advice on legal challenge

Standing room only as residents send 'crystal clear' message to government

Council leader: Lewes district 'at real risk of becoming part of Brighton & Hove'

District News - Special Edition

We have published a special digital edition of DN (District News), the council magazine, with exclusive content on the government's latest consultation on local government reorganisation.

District News - Special Edition - May 2026 (PDF, 5 MB)

Download the #LocalVoicesMatter poster here (PDF, 4 MB)

For anyone who wished to write to the government, we provided a letter to download here:

Download the template letter as a Word document (Word doc, 15 KB)

Further information and updates can be found on the One East Sussex website.

What residents have already told us through previous consultations

From Friday 25 July 2025 to Monday 25 August 2025, residents were asked to have their say on Brighton & Hove City Council's proposal to expand the city boundaries into Kingston ward, East Saltdean, Telscombe, Peacehaven and Newhaven.

You can download the consultation report here: Lewes District Boundary Consultation Report - September 2025 (PDF, 445 KB)

Here's why we believe our plan for one big council for the whole of East Sussex makes most sense:

Larger authorities are more financially resilient than smaller ones. They are better equipped to handle both planned and unexpected costs, particularly in areas such as adult social care and children's services.
With UK local authorities facing a projected funding gap of £8.4 billion by 2028/29, savings are vital. Bringing services together as part of one larger authority helps reduce duplication, streamlines management, and delivers the savings needed.
A single authority can more effectively coordinate across departments like housing, transport, education, and health. Breaking up of services increases costs, lines of communication become blurred and specialist expertise could be lost.
Larger councils have greater capacity to deliver long-term infrastructure projects, manage housing development, and tackle challenges such as climate change and economic growth.
Current government guidance recommends unitary authorities serve populations exceeding 500,000 people. East Sussex, with approximately 550,000 residents, meets the criteria.
The push for a single unitary authority in East Sussex is also driven by the belief that it offers improved services, stronger finances, and more strategic leadership. By being smaller and breaking up services, these benefits could be lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is local government reorganisation?

LGR is a national government policy to simplify how councils operate. In East Sussex, it would replace the current two‑tier system (district and borough councils plus the county council) with unitary councils that deliver all local services.

What have councils in East Sussex proposed?

A detailed proposal known as One East Sussex was developed and submitted to government. This proposal would create a single unitary council covering the existing East Sussex boundary, serving around 550,000 residents.

Lewes District Council (LDC) and Eastbourne Borough Council support (EBC) the One East Sussex proposal because it keeps the county together, protects local communities, and avoids boundary changes that residents have repeatedly opposed.

What has the government proposed?

The Government has announced its decision to implement a modified version of the One East Sussex proposal for unitary local government for East Sussex. Read the Ministerial Statement here . This means that from April 2028, Brighton & Hove City Council would expand, to include the areas of East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe with the rest of East Sussex (including Falmer) forming a single "unitary" council.

Why are Lewes District Council leaders so concerned?

They believe this proposal would break up long‑established communities, destroy historic local identity, reduce local democratic voice, shift decisions away from small towns and villages to a large city authority and permanently redraw boundaries despite repeated public opposition.

What do residents think?

The message from residents has been clear and consistent:

Strong support for keeping East Sussex together
Clear opposition to any reorganisation involving Brighton & Hove City Council
Overwhelming backing for a single East Sussex unitary authority, rather than breaking the county into parts

What did residents say about moving into Brighton & Hove?

In areas proposed for transfer to Brighton & Hove - including communities in Lewes district - opposition was overwhelming.

Almost 9 in 10 respondents (89%) rejected the idea of their communities being moved into Brighton & Hove.
Responses described fears of losing local identity, influence, and control over development decisions.

Did residents support the One East Sussex model?

Yes. In consultation feedback, 74% of respondents said a single East Sussex unitary council was the only model that should be submitted to government.

Was there a separate consultation about Brighton & Hove expanding?

Yes. In summer 2025, Lewes District Council and East Sussex County Council ran a specific consultation on Brighton & Hove's proposed expansion into Lewes district.

That process also showed overwhelming opposition, and was accompanied by an online petition objecting to the takeover, which gathered more than 6,500 signatures.

Has the government run its own consultation?

Yes. MHCLG has published reports giving summaries of responses to the two most recent Government consultations over Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). These are available here:

Is LGR the same as devolution and having a Sussex mayor?

No. Devolution is a separate process.

Devolution would create a Sussex‑wide mayoral authority with powers over transport, skills and major strategy.
Local councils would still run day‑to‑day services.
Boundary changes are not required for devolution.

Background to Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution in East Sussex

Reform of local government means two changes are planned which would affect people across East Sussex.

Reorganisation: Everyone would be served by just one council, providing all day-to-day services in East Sussex. This would replace the present two-tier system where some services are provided by the county council and some by the district or borough council.
Devolution: A strategic authority for the whole of Sussex, including an elected mayor, would have funding and powers to plan and decide long-term issues which affect the whole area.

1. Reorganisation of local government

The national government wants local government to reorganise. Its aim is for people to be served by just one local council (known as 'unitary government').

In East Sussex, this means moving away from the two-tier model of county council (East Sussex County Council) and borough or district councils (Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes district, Rother and Wealden).

All partners in East Sussex have discussed how this might be arranged. A detailed proposal has been developed for a single council on the current boundaries of East Sussex in response to the government's plans. This was agreed by the county council's cabinet in March 2025.

A single unitary council in East Sussex, which has a population of 550,000, best fits the government's guiding principles for new unitary authorities, which include that new councils should have a population of more than 500,000.

In September 2025, Lewes District Council and Eastbourne Borough Council submitted the following proposals and business case to government, along with East Sussex County Council, Rother District Council and Hastings Borough Council:

One East Sussex LGR proposal (PDF, 12 MB)

Economic Impact Report (PDF, 1 MB)

2. Devolution

The government has agreed a proposal from East Sussex County Council and its neighbours for devolution across Sussex.

Devolution means drawing down more powers and funding to people in Sussex: allowing more decisions to be made locally rather than at a national level.

A new mayor for the whole of Sussex would be elected in May 2028.

The mayor and representatives each from East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council would form a mayoral combined county authority for Sussex.

The new combined authority would have powers for strategic issues including transport, housing, skills and employment, economy, environment and climate change, health and public safety.

The combined authority would work with local councils in East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove, which would continue to operate most day-to-day services.

Support for devolution

The government's White Paper on Devolution in England published in December 2024 asked local authorities to say how they would respond to the Government's intention to devolve more powers to local areas.

The cabinet of East Sussex County Council decided in January 2025 to proceed with the proposal for Sussex after agreement with West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council.

Partners agreed it would be an opportunity to give the 1.7 million people in all parts of Sussex a stronger voice in how national decisions affect them and greater power to shape investment and major projects across the area.

Angela Rayner MP, announced on 5 February that it would include a Sussex mayoral combined authority in its priority programme for devolution in England.

What happens now?

There are no immediate changes to services or council operations.

The government is assessing the responses to the devolution consultation before introducing law which would enable a mayoral strategic authority for Sussex.

The election of a mayor for Sussex could take place in May 2028.

On reorganisation, the Government has announced its decision to implement a modified version of the One East Sussex proposal for unitary local government for East Sussex. Read the Ministerial Statement here . This means that from April 2028, Brighton & Hove City Council would expand, to include the areas of East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe with the rest of East Sussex (including Falmer) forming a single "unitary" council.

While this decision shows that the Government has largely accepted the case that East Sussex will flourish best as a unitary county, it is deeply disappointing this has been compromised by the severing of some of our communities and an unjustified expenditure of time and resources that will bring risk and cost.

We are determined to ensure that future arrangements for local government in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove are dedicated to serving local people and delivering excellent local services.

While we will be exploring the options available to us, including legal action, this decision means that we will be preparing for the election of a new shadow Unitary Authority for East Sussex in May 2027.

If plans are approved, the new authorities would start work in 2028 and East Sussex County Council and the five district or borough councils would cease to exist.

Governance and expenditure

Lewes District and Eastbourne Borough Council, alongside other councils in East Sussex, have been undertaking work in response to the Government's invitation to develop proposals for Local Government Reorganisation.

This preparatory work is undertaken using the council's existing statutory powers, including the general power of competence and other relevant enabling powers, and is consistent with normal practice for major policy or structural change affecting local government.

All activity and associated expenditure is subject to the council's established governance arrangements, including:

member decision-making where required
officer delegations within the Constitution
Section 151 (Chief Finance Officer) oversight
Monitoring Officer oversight of legality and governance.

Proposals have been submitted to Government and are currently under consideration. Any future changes to local government structures would require formal Government approval, including a Structural Changes Order.

The councils will continue to ensure that all activity is undertaken in accordance with statutory requirements and its Best Value duty.

Last modified on 24 July 2026

This website uses cookies