Anger as plans to reorganise councils are delayed

Ministers have been accused of causing "chaos" after a decision on how to divide Sussex into new authorities to run local services was delayed until the summer.

The government told council leaders it needed more time to consider a proposal to expand Brighton into East Sussex and to look at how to split West Sussex into two.

West Sussex County Council's Conservative leader Paul Marshall called the move "government chaos".

Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, said he had not made a decision about Sussex "due to concerns regarding all four of the proposals I received".

Under plans for devolution across England, both East and West Sussex county councils and all 12 borough and district councils are due to be replaced with single authorities to run all services.

Councils across Sussex had submitted varying proposals in September for how many new unitary authorities should be created and what size and shape they should be.

Brighton and Hove's plan to create five new authorities across Sussex included a controversial plan to expand the city's footprint eastwards to take in East Saltdean, Telescombe Cliffs, Peacehaven and Falmer parish.

The government ran a public consultation on the various options between November and January and was due to announce it's decision by the end of March.

Marshall said it was "troubling" to reopen discussions about redrawing boundaries before local elections on 7 May.

He said the proposals made by councils had taken months of detailed work which was now being "ignored".

He said "We were explicitly asked to assess options within the parameters set by Government, and it was right that we undertook that work thoroughly and transparently.

"It is therefore deeply concerning that ministers now appear to be selectively revisiting options while disregarding the detailed analysis councils have already completed."

But Brighton & Hove City Council's Labour leader Bella Sankey said she welcomed the government considering modification and "seeking greater consensus and compromise across Sussex as a region".

She said reorganisation was "a chance to make local service delivery in our region more effective, and local growth more ambitious".

The government said plans to elect members of the new authorities in May 2027 will still go ahead.

A shadow year will follow, before existing county, borough and district councils are dissolved in April 2028.

In May 2028 residents will go to the polls again to elect the first mayor of Sussex and Brighton who will have strategic powers over housing, transport, education and employment would help drive economic growth.

Reed added: "I am considering modifications that could address my concerns, including an option for potential modification of the proposals for further consultation."

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