The new leader of East Sussex County Council, Andy Wolley, has formally opposed the latest modified plan for local government reorganisation (LGR).
On Thursday 11 June Reform UK council leader Andy Woolley signed off on the authority’s response to government consultation on LGR in Sussex and Brighton. It seeks views on a proposal put forward by housing secretary Steve Reed for the creation of a new unitary authority mostly based on the existing boundaries, but with some western parts of the county being absorbed by Brighton.
Councillor Woolley criticised this plan, highlighting local opposition and concerns around the cost. “These communities are not incidental to East Sussex, they are part of its fabric. Their history, character and sense of place are rooted here in East Sussex and many residents do not recognise themselves as part of a large urban authority like Brighton and Hove. That sense of identity matters and deserves to be respected.”
The approved consultation response sets out concerns and criticisms of the government proposal and reiterates the authority’s support for the One East Sussex proposal. This argues for the creation of a unitary authority based on current county boundaries — effectively replacing six existing councils with a new single body.
The proposed consultation (and support for the One East Sussex model) was endorsed by other councillors present at the meeting, including Liberal Democrat leader Kathryn Field. She said, “As an authority, we have always taken the view that One East Sussex is the whole unit, not East Sussex minus those four parishes. I have been saying to my parish councillors, who said ‘it is in the west, it is nothing to do with us’ that it certainly is, because if we have to disaggregate all those services for so few members of the population it will have a massive impact on all of us.”
The consultation has now closed, with Steve Reed expected to make his decision in the summer.
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