Anyone with even the slightest interest in democracy will have been following the coming changes to how local government is controlled. The biggest changes in over half a century are now being made.
Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) are not the most simple things to get your head around, so over the next two weeks we’ve two explainers. This week: devolution and what it means for local elections.
Devolution is the drawing down of powers and funding from central government and handing them to local authorities.
The idea is to allow decisions about things such as housing, transport, infrastructure, the economy and the environment to be made at a local level, rather than in Westminster.
In Sussex, these devolved powers will be held by a new organisation known as a Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA). As the name suggests, this authority will eventually be led by a directly elected mayor.
Sussex and Brighton residents had been due to elect their first mayor in May this year, but the Government opted in December to delay these elections. The first mayoral elections are now due to take place in May 2028.
The decision to delay the MCCA vote was made to allow work on changes to local government which will see both East Sussex County Council and Rother District Council replaced. More on that next week.
The MCCA is expected to begin taking shape before the inaugural mayoral elections. Initially, the organisation will be made up of members drawn from Brighton and Hove City Council, East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council.
For the second year in a row there will also not be a ballot for East Sussex County Council.
Normally voting would take place in May but the Government offered ESCC (and several other Sussex councils) the chance to “postpone” – essentially to cancel them – to ensure they had enough time and resources to deal with the work needed for Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation.
This has been seen by some as a betrayal of democracy with councillors “running in fear” of being voted out – others see it as a necessity to get the county through what has been described as the most significant structural change to UK democracy since the 1970s.
In May 2027 there will be all-out elections for the new unitary authority or authorities in East Sussex. They will operate as shadow authorities before going live in April 2028. There will also be a Rye Town Council election.
The following year in May 2028 elections will be held to choose the first mayor of Sussex and Brighton. The new unitary authorities will go live – this is known as the vesting day. The county, district and borough councils will be dissolved. The role of police and crime commissioner will end and become part of the mayor’s duties.
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