Dear Resident,
Further to my previous email and following the Government’s 16 December White Paper the Chief Executive of East Sussex County Council has issued the following statement –
“I promised to update you on the fast-moving events in East Sussex around the Government’s ambitions for devolution and local government reorganisation.
For those of you who weren’t there, today our [East Sussex County Council] Cabinet has agreed to ask the government to approve a proposal for a combined mayoral authority for Sussex with an elected mayor to take a strategic lead on issues including transport, housing, health, environment, public safety, skills and the economy.
This request was simultaneously agreed by the cabinets of West Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council.
If the Government agrees the proposal, the three councils will work together – and with all our partners – to develop plans for a mayoral authority which provides a strong voice for Sussex and pulls down more powers and investment for the area from central government. We expect to hear from the Government by the end of January.
Separately, East and West Sussex County Councils will write to the Government to request that our respective local elections, due in May 2025, are postponed by the Government to ensure devolution can be delivered at pace and mayoral elections can take place in May 2026.
We have also confirmed we will work with others to suggest a model of unitary government to replace the two-tier model here. This is in response to the Government’s request for such a proposal which it believes would be cost efficient and easier for residents. As you know we can all expect the Government to write to us later in the month with more details about the next steps on local government reorganisation.
There is more information in the joint press release we are issuing today with West Sussex and with Brighton and Hove.
Assuming the government accepts what the Counties propose, and it will, then Rother District Council will be abolished, along with the other district / borough councils in Sussex. The reorganisation will take at least a couple of years to achieve. Rother councillors and officers will need to work with County and the government to secure the best possible outcome for residents and the smoothest of handovers.
Parish (and Town) councils seem set to continue under the new system. The White Paper reiterates the government’s commitment to localism – taking decisions at the level closest to the people. It is likely that Parishes will be further professionalised with improved training and a Standards regime with teeth. Arrangements will have to be made of the governance of Hastings which will cease to be a Borough Council, but does not as yet have any Parish Councils.
I assume that the transfer of assets and liabilities to the new unitary County Authority will be interesting. Fair treatment of all parts of Sussex will need to be achieved.
Planning will be a County / unitary responsibility and we shall have to see how that is handled. It is possible there would be area planning committees, but what form they will take is not known. The White Paper sees it as a positive change that there will be fewer councillors (and elections) following restructuring and it is important enough councillors with the appropriate skills to sit on such committees are available. The government has wider plans involving the planning system and planning committees –
Major overhaul of planning committees to get Britain building – GOV.UK
I have to say there is little to support the contention that planning committees are a significant cause of the failure to build the number of houses the government needs – the causes are far more complicated and beyond the scope of this note.
For the time being Rother and County continue to provide their usual services – residents should experience no change.
Best wishes,
Andrew
Cllr Andrew Mier
Southern Rother Ward
(The villages of Fairlight, Guestling, Icklesham and Pett)
Mistral, Shepherds Way, Fairlight TN35 4BB
Tel 07941-693737
Email cllr.andrew.mier@rother.gov.uk