Team East Sussex
Team East Sussex (TES) is the strategic advisory economic growth board for the county of East Sussex.
TES’s primary aim is to drive forward economic growth and prosperity in the county. In pursuit of this aim, TES has the following key functions:
- Strategic direction and oversight;
- Pipeline development and capital programme oversight;
- Project consideration (prioritisation);
- Lobbying and promotion;
- Engagement.
TES is an independent, business-led, private/public body, with representation from business members and business representative bodies (including the FSB and Chambers of Commerce), the voluntary and community sector, further education, higher education and the local authority leaders of all of the county, borough and district councils across East Sussex. TES is supported by County Council officers in a secretariat capacity.
TES provides the voice of business in steering our county’s economic growth agenda as part of regional decision making, and has worked with the County Council and other local stakeholders to oversee the creation of a new economic strategy for the area – the East Sussex Economic Prosperity Strategy.
TES has also established a series of thematic subgroups to help it drive forward activity, including Business, Culture, Housing and Commercial Development, Environment, and Skills. Similar to TES, these active working groups are partnerships of private and public sector, plus social enterprise, education providers and more, ensuring all of the key stakeholders for each sector are represented, with a strong business voice. Subgroup activity is regularly reported to TES for information and endorsement, and all are supported by County Council officers.
Moving forward, TES will continue to review its membership to ensure it maintains as broad a representation as possible across business sectors and the local geography, and will consider creating new subgroups as necessary for areas of particular interest or need.
The membership of Team East Sussex (TES) comprises business, local authority, social enterprise and education representatives from across the county.
The TES Board is currently made up of the following 17 members.
Business Members
- Alison Turner (TES Deputy Chair)
- Ana Christie
- Christina Ewbank
- Clive Soper
- David Sheppard (TES Chair)
- Martin Ellis
- Paul Hetherington
- Penny Shimmin
- Stewart Drew
Local Authority Members
- Cllr Christine Bayliss (Rother DC)
- Cllr Julia Hilton (Hastings BC)
- Cllr Keith Glazier (East Sussex CC)
- Cllr Paul Coleshill (Wealden DC)
- Cllr Stephen Holt (Eastbourne BC)
- Cllr Zoe Nicholson (Lewes DC)
Further and Higher Education Members
- Donna Harfield (East Sussex College)
- Sue Baxter (University of Sussex)
Team East Sussex meets quarterly for TES Board meetings. The next TES Board meeting is scheduled for 17 June 2024.
Meeting papers
Minutes and papers for all TES meetings prior to April 2024 are published on the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) website:
Minutes and meetings - SELEP website
Moving forward, meeting papers will be published on this page.
Minutes are also available on request from the County Council's Economic Development department.
The most recent version of the TES Terms of Reference was published in May 2023. TES Board members are also required to complete a Register of Interests document.
While TES provides the overall strategic direction for economic growth, it is supported by sector specific subgroups, who themselves are networks of public/private bodies, organisations and individuals.
Business East Sussex (BES)
A collaborative forum of business leaders, education and public sector organisations, coming together to support local businesses and help address local challenges, aiming to make East Sussex the best place in the country to do business – open to any business wishing to attend.
More on Business East Sussex
Culture East Sussex (CES)
A network of cultural organisations, public bodies and individuals providing a collective, collaborative voice for culture across the county, to create opportunities for positive change for all of East Sussex.
More on Culture East Sussex
Developers East Sussex (DES)
A forum of construction, planning, housing and commercial developers taking an active role in the delivery of quality sustainable development in East Sussex.
More on Developers East Sussex
Environment East Sussex (EES)
The county’s strategic body for the environment and climate change, aiming to drive an improvement in environmental quality across East Sussex.
Skills East Sussex (SES)
The county’s strategic body for employment and skills, aiming to drive workforce development and increase skills levels across a range of sectors.
More on Skills East Sussex
The County Council's Economic Development team act as secretariat to Team East Sussex.
Email: Economic Development