PEOPLE in East Sussex have given more than 14,000 views on plans to reorganise the area’s local government.

Every comment received is now part of the evidence being considered by all six councils in East Sussex as they decide on the final proposal they will make to ministers by 26 September.

The government wants single councils to replace the current two-tier system of county council and borough or district council.

The six current councils in East Sussex have organised a series of surveys and discussion groups to hear the views of residents on how this could be arranged.

There was a range of views, but particular themes were:

• Strong support for reorganising within the current footprint of the five borough and district councils in East Sussex. There is near-universal opposition to sharing new council structures with the city of Brighton & Hove (BHCC). In areas where BHCC suggested it might expand, almost nine in 10 people (89 per cent), rejected the idea
• High-quality services were the most important thing people wanted to see from a new council. In a county-wide survey, six in 10 people named this as a priority
• Asked about a single unitary council for all of East Sussex, potential cost saving was named as the single biggest benefit. It was identified by almost half (49 per cent) of people who saw merit in the single unitary model. Almost three-quarters of people (74 per cent) felt the single unitary was the only model which should be proposed to government
• A loss of local representation was given as the main concern about a single unitary council. More than 97 per cent of people saw a potential problem with this model and almost half of those (48 per cent) said their main concern was that local priorities could be overlooked in a larger local authority
• A separate survey of residents in Hastings asked about three potential options for reorganisation. Of 810 responses, 286 favoured the single council across East Sussex; 169 favoured a smaller coastal council as one of two unitaries; 301 favoured a model with each district and borough taking over functions of the county council; the other 54 favoured none or other options.

All six councils and their cabinets will meet this month to agree what proposal for a new structure for local government in East Sussex they want to support and submit to government.

This will include considering a joint business case – One East Sussex – for a single unitary council which is published today. It includes analysis of the single unitary model and other options.

The government announced in December 2024 that it wanted to create new unitary councils, with a population of at least 500,000, in all areas which currently have two-tier local government.

It asked local authorities to submit proposals by 26 September and expects to consult people from November before its final choice is expected in March 2026.