About One East Sussex

National government has begun reorganising local government. Its aim is for people to be served by just one local council – known as a unitary authority or unitary council.

In East Sussex this means moving away from the current two-tier model of county council (East Sussex County Council) and borough or district councils (Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother and Wealden).

Government believes bringing together council services into one organisation can:

  • deliver efficiency savings and create opportunities for improving public services
  • enhance accountability by making it easier for residents to understand who is responsible for which public services and local decisions
  • smooth the process of devolution to strategic authorities, and make it simpler for the government to transfer functions to local leaders.

Alongside local government reorganisation, national government have also introduced a strategic authority for the whole of Sussex, including an elected mayor. The Sussex & Brighton Strategic Authority (SBSA) will have funding and powers to plan and decide long-term issues which affect the whole area.

A new mayor for the whole of Sussex will be elected in May 2028.

What is happening next?

Government has chosen a single unitary council to cover almost the whole of East Sussex. This closely follows our One East Sussex proposal.

The only parts of East Sussex not included are East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe which Ministers have decided should be transferred into an expanded Brighton & Hove City Council (BHCC).

Elections to the new East Sussex unitary council will be held in May 2027.  Elections to a new expanded BHCC will be held at the same time

Both councils will operate in shadow form until April 2028 when they will begin full operation. The new single council for East Sussex will replace the existing county council and five district/borough councils (Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother and Wealden).

Timeline to 2028

A timeline for One East Sussex council. 26 September 2025 - five of the six councils in East Sussex submitted a detailed proposal to Government for a single council. December 2025 Government consultation on One East Sussex proposal and a proposal submitted by Brighton & Hove City Council. March 2026, Government want a consultation. July 2026 final government decision. May 2027 Elections to preparing authority and One East Sussex Council goes live.
  • 26 September 2025: five of the six councils in East Sussex submitted a detailed proposal to Government for a single council, operating on the current footprint of East Sussex:
  • December 2025 to January 2026: Government consultation on One East Sussex proposal and a proposal submitted by Brighton & Hove City Council to reorganise Sussex into five new unitary councils
  • March 2026: On 25 March 2026 Government told us they want to consult on a variation of the One East Sussex proposal after the elections in May. Their variation would see Peacehaven, Telscombe, East Saltdean and Falmer parish transferred to Brighton and Hove to bolster its footprint.
  • May 2026: Government consultation: details to come
  • July 2026: Government announces plans for East Sussex unitary council (and expanded Brighton & Hove City Council).
  • May 2027: Elections to shadow authority
  • April 2028: New council starts work, replacing the current county and borough/district councils

How it will work

The new structure of local government for Sussex

An outline of the proposed new structure of local government in East Sussex. The Sussex and Brighton Strategic Authority, which is the mayor and council representatives, will be in charge of transport, infrastructure, skills, education, housing and economic development. The unitary authorities will be West Sussex, East Sussx and Brighton & Hove. Local councils will deal with town halls, play areas, parks, allotments and cemeteries.
  1. Top level – National government
    National government is responsible for delivery and coordination of national level service.

  2. Next level – Sussex Mayoral Combined County Authority Consists of 1 mayor, 6 council representatives (2 each from constituent council, currently East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council, Brighton & Hove City Council) and 6 non-constituent members (such as district authority, local NHS Trust). The Mayoral Combined County Authority would receive greater local control over areas such as transport, adult education and skills, and housing to enable improvements in local connectivity, educational outcomes, economic development, driving economic growth and improved social wellbeing.

  3. Unitary authorities – to be created from 15 existing county, city, district and borough councils, including the six councils in East Sussex.

  4. Local councils – for towns and parishes

Regions will speak to national government through the Council of the Nations and Regions plus the Sussex & Brighton Strategic Authority.

One East Sussex - the business case

One East Sussex was the detailed proposal for a single council for the county, to serve its 555,000 residents and its businesses from 2028.

The evidence-based business case was developed over several months following the government’s decision to replace the present two-tier structure of county council and borough/district councils. It was worked up by all six existing councils in East Sussex and drew on detailed evidence, analysis and the views of local people.

One East Sussex showed that a single unitary council would be simpler for residents, would save money, and would avoid the extra complexity of splitting up existing services.

It would also meet the government’s guidelines for new unitary councils and would preserve the partnerships between councils, NHS, emergency services and government so that we could continue to develop services with our communities.

The proposal was submitted to government in September 2025.

In July 2026 the Government announced it would go ahead with a variant of the One East Sussex proposal. This will see East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe transferred into an expanded  Brighton and Hove. The large majority of the present East Sussex area (with a population of around 530,000) will remain together and form a new single council.

One East Sussex - read the full business case

Appendix

Annexes

Public consultations and engagement

The Government announced in July 2026 that it was choosing a variant of the One East Sussex model as a new unitary council structure for most of the county. 

Before this, it had run a further consultation on a modification, including moving parts of East Sussex into the area of Brighton & Hove City Council.  That consultation ran in May and June 2026.

Results from the consultation showed 81% of responses did not think the modified proposal would be an improvement. Three-quarters of those who responded (76%) did not think the proposal would lead to stronger services or more sustainable finances. 

Consultation summary: modified proposals for local government reorganisation in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove 

Leaders of all six councils in East Sussex told the Government they opposed the option on which it was consulting.

See our leaders' letter to Ministers

Previous consultations

In November 2025, the government held an initial consultation on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in East Sussex. The consultation was open to all residents, businesses, voluntary groups, and local organisations. 

The government consulted on two options for East Sussex:

  • The proposal by Eastbourne Borough Council, East Sussex County Council, Hastings Borough Council, Lewes District Council and Rother District Council submitted a proposal for one unitary council for the current East Sussex County footprint.
  • Brighton and Hove City Council’s proposal for five unitary councils on a pan-Sussex basis.

The consultation closed on Sunday 11 January 2026.

Responses showed that 59 per cent thought the proposal for two unitary councils (one for the whole of East Sussex and one for the existing Brighton and Hove area) was sensible and 57 per cent thought it would put local government on a firmer footing. Only 12 per cent thought a proposal for five new unitary councils across the whole of Sussex was sensible and only 10 per cent thought it would put local government on a firmer footing. 

Local government reorganisation in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove, and West Sussex 

Consultation and discussion in East Sussex

The councils in East Sussex want to listen to and work with local people, residents, stakeholders, and partners whilst making these changes. 

Conversations with local communities, partners and businesses will be vital in shaping a new council and what people would like to see from it.  

In preparing the One East Sussex proposal there were public surveys, focus groups and discussion with partner organisations.  

A public survey ran across the county in May and June 2025 – thank you to everyone who responded.  Here is a summary of the results: 

Hastings Borough Council also undertook further consultation on options, which you can view on their page about LGR and devolution:

Lewes District Council also carried out a survey in response to Brighton & Hove City Council’s proposal to expand the city boundaries into Kingston ward, East Saltdean, Telscombe, Peacehaven and Newhaven. 

This took place in July and August 2025. You can view the results on Lewes District Council’s site: