East Sussex Decides, 2026. Reform UK Leading Party after Local Elections in East Sussex
Reform UK Leading Party after Local Elections in East Sussex
The 2026 East Sussex county council election has delivered a seismic shift, with Reform UK winning 22 seats to become the largest party. The Liberal Democrats secured 13, while the Greens took 11. A single Independent completed the board. The Conservatives, who used to run the council, picked up just 3 seats.
Reform UK are 3 short of winning control of the council and looks to work with the Conservatives.
The Lib Dems and Greens, holding 24 seats between them, may explore a coalition to deny Reform control. With no majority, tense negotiations lie ahead for the divided authority.
| EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| (Hastings Division 8 Wards: * Sitting Councillor) | |||
| Ashdown and Conquest | |||
| Louise Chantal | Labour and Cooperative | 447 | |
| Aidan Fisher * | Reform UK | 1246 | |
| Stewart Rayment | Liberal Democrat | 208 | |
| Roger Streeten | Conservative | 728 | |
| Paula Warne | Green | 835 | |
| Reform UK HOLD | Majority: 411 | ||
| Baird and Ore | |||
| Liam Atkins | Conservative | 305 | |
| Kim Forward | Labour and Cooperative | 364 | |
| Martin Griffiths | Liberal Democrat | 123 | |
| Jack McCree | Reform UK | 991 | |
| Jo Walker | Green | 1429 | |
| Green GAIN from Conservative | Majority: 438 | ||
| Braybrooke and Castle | |||
| Peter Clarke | Reform UK | 701 | |
| Paul Foster | Conservative | 259 | |
| Becca Horn | Green | 2577 | |
| Josh Matthews | Labour | 623 | |
| Stephen Milton | Liberal Democrat | 134 | |
| Green GAIN from Labour | Majority: 1876 | ||
| Central St Leonards and Gensing | |||
| Anne Gallop | Liberal Democrat | 184 | |
| Amanda Jobson | Green | 2556 | |
| Caroline Kerswell | Conservative | 206 | |
| Philip Morgan | Reform UK | 736 | |
| Trevor Redmond | Labour and Cooperative | 626 | |
| Green GAIN from Labour | Majority: 1820 | ||
| Hollington and Wishing Tree | |||
| Stephen Butterton | Conservative | 314 | |
| Mark Estcourt | Reform UK | 1055 | |
| Terry Keen | Liberal Democrat | 151 | |
| John Rankin | Labour | 651 | |
| Justin Wynne | Green | 546 | |
| Reform UK GAIN from Labour | Majority: 404 | ||
| Maze Hill and West St Leonards | |||
| Matthew Beaver * | Conservative | 490 | |
| Derek Lawrence | Reform UK | 1031 | |
| Bruce Meredeen | Liberal Democrat | 105 | |
| Anna Sabin | Labour | 657 | |
| Karen Simnett | Green | 1218 | |
| Green GAIN from Conservative | Majority: 287 | ||
| Old Hastings and Tressell | |||
| James Bacon | Labour | 677 | |
| Donna Harris | Liberal Democrat | 75 | |
| Julia Hilton * | Green | 2017 | |
| Yoong Kam | Reform UK | 794 | |
| Andy Patmore | Conservative | 165 | |
| Green HOLD | Majority: 1223 | ||
| St Helens and Silverhill | |||
| Sean Clarke | Reform UK | 1125 | |
| Shaun Dowling | Green | 1152 | |
| Bob Lloyd | Liberal Democrat | 306 | |
| Howard Martin | Conservative | 578 | |
| Margi O’Callaghan | Labour and Cooperative | 745 | |
| Green GAIN from Conservative | Majority: 27 | ||
| EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL | |||
| Current State of the Parties: Hastings Division 8 Wards | |||
| (after 7 declarations – 1 remaing) | |||
| Party | Councillors | New COUNCILLORS | +/_ |
| (Elected 2021-26) | (2026-) | ||
| Conservative | 3 | 3 | -2 |
| Green | 1 | 6 | +5 |
| Labour | 3 | -3 | |
| Reform UK | 1 | 2 | +1 |
| 8 | 8 | ||
| HASTINGS BOROUGH COUNCIL | |||
| (16 Wards: * Sitting Councillor) | |||
| Ashdown | |||
| Louise Chantal | Labour and Cooperative | 202 | |
| Mike Edwards * | Conservative | 363 | |
| Daniel Kendrick | Reform UK | 628 | |
| Marie Parfitt | Green | 407 | |
| Robert Wakeford | Liberal Democrat | 95 | |
| Reform UK GAIN from Conservative | Majority: 221 | ||
| Baird | |||
| Liam Atkins | Conservative | 151 | |
| Rick Dillon | Labour | 128 | |
| Jack McCree | Reform UK | 438 | |
| Will Rumfitt | Green | 492 | |
| Mike Turner * | Independent (HIG) | 335 | |
| Green GAIN from Labour (defected to HIG) | Majority: 54 | ||
| Braybrooke | |||
| Yoong Kam | Reform UK | 353 | |
| Archie Lauchlan | Green | 1232 | |
| Josh Matthews | Labour | 364 | |
| John Waterfall | Conservative | 138 | |
| Green GAIN from Labour | Majority: 868 | ||
| Castle | |||
| Charlie Cooke | Conservative | 125 | |
| Steph Fawbert | Green | 1404 | |
| Judy Rogers * | Labour | 333 | |
| Graeme White | Liberal Democrat | 336 | |
| Green GAIN from Labour | Majority: 1168 | ||
| Central St Leonards | |||
| Alex Dudley | Reform UK | 378 | |
| Caroline June Kerswell | Conservative | 107 | |
| Trevor Redmond | Labour and Cooperative | 344 | |
| Solly Solamito | Green | 1303 | |
| Green HOLD | Majority: 925 | ||
| Conquest | |||
| Rob Drew | Reform UK | 607 | |
| Ian Gillam | Green | 444 | |
| Hugh Nicholson | Labour | 235 | |
| Stewart Gregory Rayment | Liberal Democrat | 87 | |
| Roger Streeten | Conservative | 398 | |
| Reform UK GAIN from Conservative (defected to Labour) | Majority: 153 | ||
| Gensing | |||
| Shane Atkins | Conservative | 95 | |
| Amanda Jobson * | Green | 1436 | |
| Jet Rankin | Reform UK | 365 | |
| John Williams | Labour | 274 | |
| Green HOLD | Majority: 1071 | ||
| Hollington | |||
| Matthew Ainsworth | Conservative | 135 | |
| Will Chapman | Reform UK | 484 | |
| Andrea Cowhig | Independent | 197 | |
| Angela Harris | Labour and Cooperative | 261 | |
| Justin Lee Wynne | Green | 196 | |
| Reform UK GAIN from Labour (defected to HIG) | Majority: 223 | ||
| Maze Hill | |||
| Rob Cooke | Conservative | 268 | |
| Lee Grant | Liberal Democrat | 44 | |
| Rosie Murphy | Reform UK | 499 | |
| Tim Shand | Labour and Cooperative | 223 | |
| Karen Simnett | Green | 969 | |
| Green GAIN from Conservative | Majority: 470 | ||
| Old Hastings | |||
| James Bacon * | Labour | 640 | |
| Steve Foot | Reform UK | 387 | |
| Mike Frith | Green | 1064 | |
| Ray Molloy | Conservative | 124 | |
| Green GAIN from Labour | Majority: 424 | ||
| Ore | |||
| Wojciech Duczmal | Reform UK | 471 | |
| Kim Forward | Labour and Cooperative | 167 | |
| Clem McCulloch | Green | 874 | |
| Brett McClean | Conservative | 113 | |
| Vicky Wilson | Independent | 70 | |
| Green GAIN from Labour (defected to HIG) | Majority: 403 | ||
| Silverhill | |||
| Craig Andrew | Conservative | 213 | |
| Ian Moore | Reform UK | 492 | |
| Margi O’Callaghan | Labour and Cooperative | 327 | |
| Dulcie Reynolds | Green | 610 | |
| Nigel Sinden * | Independent (HIG) | 265 | |
| Green GAIN from Labour (defected to HIG) | Majority: 118 | ||
| St Helens | |||
| Andy Batsford * | Independent (HIG) | 544 | |
| Stephen Butterton | Conservative | 229 | |
| Peter Clarke | Reform UK | 572 | |
| Shaun Dowling | Green | 490 | |
| Barney Green | Labour and Cooperative | 320 | |
| Bob Lloyd | Liberal Democrat | 164 | |
| Helen Martin | Labour and Cooperative | 311 | |
| Howard Martin | Conservative | 249 | |
| Jessica Townsend | Green | 462 | |
| Hazel Vanbergen | Reform UK | 460 | |
| Reform UK GAIN from Labour (defected to HIG) | Majority: 28 | ||
| HiG HOLD | Majority: 54 | ||
| Tressell | |||
| Ingrid Allan | Labour | 129 | |
| Glenn Haffenden * | Green | 921 | |
| Ricky Hodges | Reform UK | 409 | |
| Shelley Lee | Conservative | 51 | |
| Green HOLD | Majority: 512 | ||
| West St Leonards | |||
| Matthew Beaver * | Conservative | 220 | |
| Emma Joliffe | Green | 346 | |
| Derek Lawrence | Reform UK | 506 | |
| Eve Montgomery | Liberal Democrat | 50 | |
| Anna Sabin | Labour | 370 | |
| Reform UK gain from Conservative | Majority: 136 | ||
| Wishing Tree | |||
| John Cannan * | Independent (HIG) | 153 | |
| Wendy Cooke | Conservative | 137 | |
| Melanie Kavanagh | Green | 263 | |
| Mal McDermott | Libertarian UK | 18 | |
| John Rankin | Labour | 365 | |
| Doreena Ross | Reform UK | 516 | |
| Reform GAIN from Labour (defected to HIG) | Majority: 151 | ||
| HASTINGS BOROUGH COUNCIL | |||
| Current State of the Parties | |||
| (after 15 declarations) | |||
| Party | Councillors | New CouncillorS | +/_ |
| (Elected 2024-26) | (2026-) | ||
| Conservative | 2 | 0 | -3 |
| Green | 9 | 10 | +7 |
| Hastings Independent Group | 0 | 10 | -5 |
| Labour | 3 | 0 | -4 |
| Libertarian UK | 0 | 0 | |
| Reform UK | 0 | 6 | +5 |
| Independent | 1 | 0 | |
| Vacant | 1 | 0 | |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| HASTINGS BOROUGH COUNCIL | |||
| Existing Councillors (Elected in 2024) | |||
| Sorrell Marlow-Eastwood | Conservative | Ashdown | |
| Yunis Smith | Green Party | Baird | |
| Mark Etherington | Green Party | Braybrooke | |
| Becca Horn | Green Party | Castle | |
| Adele Bates | Green Party | Central St Leonards | |
| Paul Foster | Conservative | Conquest | |
| Paula Warne | Green Party | Gensing | |
| Danuta Kean | Independent | Hollington | |
| Darren Mackenzie | Green Party | Maze Hill | |
| Julia Hilton | Green Party | Old Hastings | |
| Jo Walker | Green Party | Ore | |
| Billie Barnes | Labour | Silverhill | |
| Vacant | Vacant | St Helens | |
| Vacant | Vacant | St Helens | |
| Natalie Gaimster | Green Party | Tressell | |
| Trevor Webb | Labour | West St Leonards | |
| Helen Kay | Labour | Wishing Tree | |
| HASTINGS BOROUGH COUNCIL | |||
| New Councillors (Elected in 2026) | |||
| Daniel Kendrick | Reform UK | Ashdown | |
| Will Rumfitt | Green | Baird | |
| Archie Lauchlan | Green | Braybrooke | |
| Steph Fawbert | Green | Castle | |
| Solly Solamito | Green | Central St Leonards | |
| Rob Drew | Reform UK | Conquest | |
| Amanda Jobson | Green | Gensing | |
| Will Chapman | Reform UK | Hollington | |
| Karen Simnett | Green | Maze Hill | |
| Mike Frith | Green | Old Hastings | |
| Clem McCulloch | Green | Ore | |
| Dulcie Reynolds | Green | Silverhill | |
| Andy Batsford | HiG | St Helens | |
| Peter Clarke | Reform UK | St Helens (By-Election) | |
| Glenn Haffenden | Green | Tressell | |
| West St Leonards | |||
| Wishing Tree | |||
The East Sussex County Council (ESCC) count is due to start at 10:30 – results likely by midday.
The Hastings Borough Council (HBC) count is due to start at 1:30 – results likely by the end of the day.
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