East Sussex residents are being urged to have their say and reshape the way services are run in the future.

The Government has launched a consultation into plans to replace county and district and borough councils in Sussex with single authorities, presenting two options for East Sussex.

The One East Sussex option, put forward by the county council, district and borough councils and developed with the feedback of 14,000 people across East Sussex, is one option being consulted on.  It would create a single unitary authority covering Eastbourne, Hastings, Lewes, Rother and Wealden.

A second option, put forward by Brighton & Hove City Council would see five unitary authorities across Sussex with Brighton & Hove expanding its boundary to include parts of Lewes, and a Mid Sussex unitary authority taking in parts of Wealden and Lewes.

Cllr Keith Glazier, Leader of East Sussex County Council, said: “We welcome the inclusion of our One East Sussex plan which we feel offers the best quality and value to our residents and businesses, and we are proud of the robust evidence-base and solid partnership working the plan was built on.

“It’s now important that the people who will be most affected by any changes make their views clear to central Government so they can properly understand the impact each proposal could have before they make a final decision.”

The consultation, which runs until Sunday, January 11, 2026, and information can be found at Consultation on Proposals for Local Government Reorganisation in East Sussex and Brighton and Hove and West Sussex – Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government – Citizen Space

It is expected the Government will make a final decision in spring 2026.

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