Reorganisation and devolution in East Sussex

What is reorganisation and devolution?

Reform of local government means two changes are planned which would affect people in 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 a 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.

Find out more in our short video which explains these changes:

- The way councils work is changing

Watch on YouTube: "The way councils work is changing"

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

Five of the six councils have published a detailed plan for a single council on the current footprint of East Sussex:

One East Sussex - Business Case for Local Government Reorganisation in East Sussex

2. Devolution

The government 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.

The Sussex & Brighton Strategic Authority began operation in April 2026.

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

The mayor will join representatives from East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council in the combined authority.

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

It will work with local councils in East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove, which will 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, Secretary of State for Local Government, announced on 5 February that it would include a Sussex mayoral combined authority in its priority programme for devolution in England.

A public consultation on devolution for Sussex closed in April 2025.

In July 2025, Jim McMahon, Minister for Local Government, confirmed in Parliament that the Sussex proposal had met the tests to proceed.

What happens now?

There are no immediate changes to services or council operations.

In February 2026 the Government introduced legislation to allow a new mayoral combined authority for Sussex. The Sussex & Brighton Strategic Authority began operation in April 2026.

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

On reorganisation, the One East Sussex proposal (see above) was submitted to Government on 26 September, 2025 having been agreed by the cabinet of East Sussex County Council.

The Government is now consulting on a variation of this proposal which would see Peacehaven, Telscombe, East Saltdean and Falmer transferred to Brighton and Hove to increase its footprint.

The consultation runs from 12 May to 15 June 2026.

Modified proposals for local government reorganisation in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove - GOV.UK

The Government has said this extra consultation will not change the timetable for local government reorganisation. After a final option is chosen we can expect elections in 2027 with a new unitary council operating from 2028.

One East Sussex - the business case

One East Sussex is a detailed proposal for a single council for the county, to serve its 555,000 residents and its businesses from 2028.

The evidence-based business case was developed over several months following the government’s decision to replace the present two-tier structure of county council and borough/district councils. It was worked up by all six existing councils in East Sussex and draws on detailed evidence, analysis and the views of local people.

One East Sussex shows that a single unitary council would be simpler for residents, would save money, and would avoid the extra complexity of splitting up existing services.

It would also meet the government’s guidelines for new unitary councils and would preserve the partnerships between councils, NHS, emergency services and government so that we could continue to develop services with our communities.

The proposal was submitted to government on 26 September 2025. On 25 March 2026 Government announced they are not ready to make a decision about the future shape of Local Government in East Sussex, but will instead consult on a variation of the One East Sussex proposal, after the elections in May.

Their variation would see Peacehaven, Telscombe, East Saltdean and Falmer parish transferred to Brighton and Hove to bolster its footprint.

One East Sussex - read the full business case

Appendix

One East Sussex - business case appendix [2.3 MB] [pdf]

Annexes

If you find you cannot easily access any of the documents on this page, you can request them in a different format. Please email the communications team.

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