Political leadership of the Council
East Sussex County Council is a no overall control council, with a Conservative minority administration.
The residents of East Sussex elect 50 councillors (also known as members). The people who stand for election as councillors may belong to:
- one of the national political parties
- a local political party
- be completely independent of a political party
The last full County Council elections took place on 6 May 2021. There were three by-elections since, held on the 27 July 2023, 3 August 2023 and 20 November 2025.
The current political make-up of East Sussex County Council is:
- 22 Conservative
- 12 Liberal Democrats
- 5 Labour
- 5 Green
- 2 Independent Democrats
- 3 Independent
- 1 Reform UK