Council Shakeup Proposals Put Forward By Brighton and Hove

Brighton and Hove City Council proposes absorbing places on its northern and easter edges as part of a shake up of councils across Sussex.

The prospect of extending the boundary east to Peacehaven has already been aired but now the council is suggesting that the whole parish of Falmer should be part of Brighton and Hove.

Part of the parish is currently in Lewes district – in Kingston ward – and is also served by East Sussex County Council.

Brighton and Hove City Council consulted on whether to include Kingston as well as Newhaven but has decided against the idea.

The changes are driven by numbers, with the Labour government looking for Sussex to be served by three unitary councils with a population of at least 500,000.

The Labour administration in Brighton and Hove has instead proposed five smaller unitaries and – with a population of about 301,000 – Brighton and Hove would be the smallest.

The detailed proposals are due to be discussed at a series of meetings next week at Hove Town Hall, including a special council meeting on Wednesday (24 September).

Final proposals are due to be submitted to the government by the end of the week.

Brighton and Hove City Council is currently the only unitary council in Sussex since a merger in 1997 – but it serves a population of about 280,000.

A report to councillors said:

“Neighbourhoods along the seafront already function as a single city region. Falmer links through universities, the Amex Stadium and health services.

“This helps align the Brighton Kemptown constituency boundary which includes East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe.”

The area is the youngest and most diverse part of Sussex, the report said, with only 13.5 per cent of residents aged 65 or over compared with more than 23 per cent in West Sussex and 26 per cent in East Sussex.

There are large student, commuter and family populations in the area and high demand for housing.

The proposals were also described as bringing together key infrastructure including the A259, railway routes, hospitals and cultural venues.

In the report, the Labour leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, Bella Sankey, said:

“Change on this scale is unsettling. It is also necessary. Too often our current boundaries cut through communities, decisions feel distant and responsibility is unclear.

“Our vision is for councils that are big enough to be resilient and small enough to stay connected, places where local pride and local voice shape what happens next.

“This is not just about lines on a map. It is about the experience of residents. It means services that are easy to reach and joined up. It means decisions informed by lived experience and made with our communities, not for them.

“It means neighbourhood-led partnerships with the NHS, schools, police and the voluntary sector so that support feels seamless when people need it most.

“For the coast, we see one authority for a continuous coastal city that reflects the reality of a shared place and daily journeys.

“But this vision is wider than the coast alone. Across Sussex as a whole, we propose five councils, balanced in population size.

“Each would serve around three to four hundred thousand people, large enough to be financially resilient and small enough to remain rooted in local communities.

“Together they form a family of councils with clear responsibility and strong accountability, able to stand as equal partners in a devolved Sussex.

“This is not about one place growing at the expense of another. It is about the whole of Sussex being set up to succeed, with every community recognised and every council built on a scale that works.”

The council held a public consultation in July and August, inviting responses on four proposals to extend the city boundary eastward.

There were 2,307 responses, with 31 per cent from Brighton and Hove and 58 per cent for non-residents.

Concerns were raised about Brighton and Hove and the towns and parishes to the east losing their identity and character.

Continuity of frontline services was highlighted by responders – and safeguarding for vulnerable groups such as adults receiving care and children with special educational needs.

The report to councillors notes that the concerns raised were similar to those highlighted in other parts of the country.

A consultation run by Lewes District Council had 14,000 responses, with 89 per cent against Brighton and Hove absorbing the towns to the east.

Ninety-seven per cent of the responders did not want a change to local government structures.

In the Brighton and Hove proposals, East Sussex would have two unitary councils instead of the current two-tier set up of a county council and district councils.

One of the proposed unitaries would include all of the Eastbourne, Rother and Hastings districts, the Lewes District Council wards in Seaford and Newhaven and the Wealden District Council wards for Pevensey Bay, Polegate, Stone Cross, Willingdon and Herstmonceux.

The second unitary would include the rest of the Lewes district except for Falmer, all of Mid Sussex district, and the rest of the Wealden district including Uckfield, Crowborough, Hailsham, Mayfield, Buxted and Maresfield.

West Sussex would be more evenly divided with Adur, Worthing and Arun forming one unitary council, and Chichester, Horsham and Crawley the other.

All five proposed unitaries would have populations of more than 300,000 with the Chichester, Horsham and Crawley area having almost 400,000.

The proposals are due to be presented to Brighton and Hove City Council’s Place Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Monday (22 September) from 4pm.

They are also due to be discussed at a special meeting of the full council next Wednesday (24 September), starting at 6.30pm, and again by the council’s cabinet on Thursday 25 September from 2pm.

The final proposals are due to be submitted to the government on Friday 26 September.

The three meetings, at Hove Town Hall, are all scheduled to be webcast.