Reform UK has selected West Sussex County councillor Paul Linehan as its candidate for the inaugural Mayor of Sussex. The military veteran, who served in the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, is married with two daughters.

Reform UK
Paul Linehan
  • Cllr Linehan becomes the sixth candidates to declare for the contest. The others are:
  • Katy Bourne for the Conservatives, the current Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner. She was first elected to the post in November 2012 and was re-elected in 2016, 2021 and in 2024 – her fourth term of office;
  • Ben Dempsey for the Liberal Democrats, a former Mid Sussex District councillor and runner-up in East Grinstead and Uckfield in last year’s General Election;
  • Rachel Millward for the Green Party, the deputy leader of Wealden District Council;
  • Caroline Baxter, for Labour, a West Sussex County and Worthing Borough councillor; and,
  • Martin Webb, an independent candidate, former business columnist for the Sunday Telegraph.

The first mayoral election is scheduled for 7 May 2026.


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https://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/NEWS-Paul-Linehan.jpghttps://www.hastingsindependentpress.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/NEWS-Paul-Linehan-150x150.jpgHIPNewsPaul Linehan,Reform UKReform UK has selected West Sussex County councillor Paul Linehan as its candidate for the inaugural Mayor of Sussex. The military veteran, who served in the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery, is married with two daughters. Reform UKPaul Linehan Cllr Linehan becomes the sixth candidates to declare for the contest....The Hastings & St Leonards non-profit community newspaper