There won’t be an election to fill the vacant post on Rye Town Council, instead a new councillor will be chosen by co-option. Just four Rye residents requested an election, well short of the ten required.
The vacancy was caused by the resignation of Cllr Rebekah Gilbert earlier this month. The returning officer Lorna Ford, chief executive of Rother District Council, gave notice that ten electors from the Rye parish needed to request an election in writing within fourteen working days. That deadline passed earlier this week.
The timetable to fill the vacant post will be published next week says town clerk Richard Farhall. “Eligible candidates will need to be a Rye local government elector, or have lived or occupied land in the Rye parish during last 12 months, or have had their main / only place of work in the parish over the last 12 months, or have lived in the parish or within three miles of the boundary – within the last 12 months.”
The 15 remaining town councillors will fill the vacancy by selecting one of the candidates at a specially-convened meeting.
There has not been an election for Rye Town Council since 2019. The current councillors’ four year term in office ends in May 2027.
The vacancy is on the agenda for discussion at the council’s meeting this Monday, July 28. This is not when a decision will be made on who will be the next councillor. Also up for discussion: allotments, grants, finances and the informal twinning between Rye and Montreuil-sur-Mer in France. The meeting at the town hall begins at 6:30pm.
You can read the agenda here.
Sussex mayor vote goes ahead
There is news of a confirmed election elsewhere this week, one that could have huge implications for Rye. A ballot for a new mayor for Sussex will take place in May 2026.
The new role will have considerable powers over housing, development, transport and the police across East Sussex, as well as the west of the county and Brighton. Sussex is one of six areas in England chosen for the new role as part of the government’s devolution agenda.
Minister for local government and English devolution Jim McMahon said: “We are taking the next step in our devolution revolution, shifting power out of Whitehall and into our communities as part of our Plan for Change. The six devolution priority areas are leading the way towards a new era of devolved power in England and a stronger relationship between central and local government.”
Keith Glazier, leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “I believe that everyone in Sussex could benefit from our areas working together and with an elected mayor on some of the biggest issues ahead, such as jobs, transport, housing and the environment. This is a welcome step towards the goal of a Sussex devolution deal and we’ll keep working together to try and reach it.”
Not everyone is convinced a mayor for Sussex is a good idea. The government’s own consultation and research shows a significant majority of people disagree that it will help or improve various aspects of their lives.
At least two candidates have already announced they intend to run for Sussex mayor, both from the Conservative Party, whose party members have started voting for their candidate on Thursday, July 24. Former Hastings and Rye MP Sally-Ann Hart launched a website earlier this year announcing her candidacy. Sussex police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne has also said she will stand.
Who would you like to see on the ballot paper? It could be a politician, a member of a political party, or someone else. Leave a comment below.
Further reorganisation of local government is also under way with East Sussex County Council and district councils like Rother given until September to submit their plans to Westminster. It is likely a new unitary authority will be formed for East Sussex.
Image Credits: KT Bruce , Russell Hall .
There is at least one other Conservative contender for their choice of mayor, ex-MP for Worthing and Shoreham, Tim Loughton
What happened to democracy when circa two thirds of those who voted in the above poll thought that the change would not be of benefit under seven different headings?
The Eastern Rother area of the County will be side-lined as usual, probably more so when the administrative centre is in Brighton. Why do I say Brighton? It is central, has the highest population area, and is a city. Hastings, Crawley and Chichester do not stand a chance.
It is quite obvious that local democracy is to be dispatched to a bygone age.