Parties to mull next moves in hung Sussex councils
BBCNo party has won outright control of the county councils in East Sussex or West Sussex after voting on Thursday.
Reform UK is now the largest party on East Sussex County Council with 22 seats, but the party fell short of a majority of 26.
In West Sussex, Reform UK's surge was met by significant gains for the Liberal Democrats, leaving both parties with 23 seats each, out of a total of 70.
Talks will now take place, with potential for political deals to be made, so it is still not confirmed which party will lead either council.
If a party wins the largest number of seats on a council but not enough for a majority, they can either attempt to run a minority administration or form a coalition.
A minority administration risks making it hard to get things done if opposition councillors vote against plans.
For a coalition for be formed, parties would likely gather for talks behind closed doors this weekend and early next week to discuss potential plans work together.
Possible coalitions?
In some cases, parties that do not win the most seats can form an opposition coalition to stop the party with most seats forming a minority administration.
In East Sussex, one scenario could see the Liberal Democrats and Green Party, which came second and third respectively, join to form a coalition of 27 councillors.
In West Sussex, there is potential for the Liberal Democrats to make a deal with the Conservatives, Green Party or Labour to tip the balance and form a group larger than Reform.
The established political power and presence of the Liberal Democrats, which has long been the opposition party in both counties, could make it easier for it to build bridges and make deals than new insurgents Reform.
The Conservatives had controlled both authorities prior to the election.
After 25 years in charge, the party now have three county councillors in East Sussex and 11 county councillors in West Sussex.
For more analysis watch Politics South East from 10:00 BST on Sunday on BBC One and iPlayer.
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