Disputed Sussex councils shake-up out for consultation

The government has launched two public consultations into its new modified plans for replacing existing councils and dividing Sussex into new unitary authorities.

Residents and organisations have until 15 June to give views on whether Sussex and Brighton should have four new bodies to run all local services.

The plans would allow Brighton and Hove to expand its city footprint out to East Saltdean, Telescombe Cliffs, Peacehaven and Falmer, which has seen strong local opposition.

The government also wants the public's views on its plans to split West Sussex into two authorities, which include Chichester being grouped with Horsham, Mid Sussex and Crawley, instead of with its coastal neighbours.

In February 2025, Sussex and Brighton joined the government's devolution priority programme, agreeing to replace existing county, borough and district councils with new unitary authorities and an elected mayor.

In September 2025, councils across Sussex submitted four varying proposals for how the areas should be divided into single, larger authorities, and public consultations were run.

But in March, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Steve Reed said he had "concerns regarding all four of the proposals I received".

As he gave a green light to plans submitted by other priority programme areas around the country, he delayed a decision on Sussex and Brighton.

Instead, he put forward his own modified plan for splitting Sussex into four authority areas.

In Brighton and Hove and East Sussex, the modified plan would allow the request of Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC) to expand the city's footprint eastwards, thereby increasing its population from about 280,000 to 308,000.

BHCC's Labour leader Bella Sankey has said it would boost growth and "fit boundaries to how people work, live and travel".

But the Green Party leader of Lewes District Council (LDC), Zoe Nicholson, said the areas currently in her district would see a "fundamental shift" and "lose their local identity, their local voice".

She added: "Services would inevitably be reshaped around the needs of a city, not small towns and villages."

In a public consultation run by LDC and East Sussex last year, 86% of the residents who responded said they did not want to see Lewes' boundaries changed.

Nicholson warned of government requirements to build 40,000 homes by 2040 to meet the city's housing needs.

She said: "Everyone knows Brighton & Hove is struggling to meet its housing targets, and I've no doubt they see Falmer, East Saltdean, Telscombe and Peacehaven as helping to solve that failure."

In West Sussex, the government plans to split the county into two new unitary authorities.

One would combine Arun, Adur, Worthing to form an authority for 349,000 residents.

The other would combine Chichester, Horsham, Crawley and Mid Sussex to serve a population of 566,000.

But leaders of the seven borough and district councils areas all support dividing the county into two differently.

Their proposal favours aligning Chichester with Arun, Adur and Worthing to keep all the coastal areas together because of their shared character and needs.

Martin Lury, Liberal Democrat leader of Arun District Council said: "These were proposals we looked at for nine months and we worked out that the grouping the government is proposing is not financially viable, in terms of economic growth, the tax base and more than a third of the population being of pensionable age."

The two public consultations are open until 15th June.

Reed has said plans for elections to Sussex and Brighton's new unitary authorities can still go ahead as planned in May 2027.

The authorities will operate for a shadow year alongside existing councils before replacing them and taking control of services from May 2028.

The first mayor of Sussex and Brighton is due to be elected in May 2028.

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