The Biggest Change in Local Government in Fifty Years
JULIA HILTON
Last week our council debated the biggest change being proposed for local government in 50 years. According to the Labour government’s plans for “devolution and reorganisation of local government”, a Mayor of Sussex is to be elected in 2026 and the county council and five borough and district councils across East Sussex, including Hastings, are to be dissolved by 2028. They will be replaced by one or more ‘unitary’ councils, bringing all council services under one roof.
Cllr Julia Hilton, Leader of Hastings BC
While there are differing views across political parties on how we arrive at the footprint and structures of these new councils there is no doubting the passion, commitment and determination of all Hastings councillors to make this an opportunity for our town.
Most of the focus has been on local government reorganisation but the first project will be to elect a mayor for Sussex. This is to come with a 30-year funding pot of as-yet unknown size that can be spent on improving transport, housing and skills, and decarbonising our economy. It’s essential that we start work now on an investment plan for Hastings that we can hand to that new Mayor in May 2026.
I will be lobbying hard for any new council to have a major base in Hastings. This would be a powerful symbol of a commitment to putting the needs of our communities at the heart of a new council.
No one denies there are opportunities to improve the way public services are delivered. I am keen to see integrated neighbourhood teams that not only bring together health, adult social care and housing services, but that also act as community hubs, giving local people the power to drive change in their communities. This will be essential to counter the disconnect inherent in larger councils which are more distant from their communities.
Town Council Consultation
We will be seeking views from Hastings’ residents on the creation of a town council for Hastings. We must secure assets, such as our precious parks, green spaces, leisure centres, museums and community centres, so that they remain under the control of the communities they serve, and a new town council may be the best way to do this.
It is a huge challenge; pursuing our ambitious plans for change whilst simultaneously rearranging ourselves with five other councils, four of which will run out of money in two years’ time. Without significant, mid- to long-term funding, they will sink and combining us into one council won’t change that. There is no additional government funding for this complex reorganisation, we have to self-fund, including if necessary, selling off assets.
Funding Reform
To be successful, this reorganisation must come with major reform of local government finance. We need a serious national strategy to tackle homelessness, and a strong commitment to mend our broken children’s services and adult social care systems. It is, frankly, ludicrous to continue to fund local government through our regressive council tax system, which sees Buckingham Palace pay only £1,824 per year, while the average property in Hastings pays substantially more. The new Mayor should be given the power to levy a tourist tax, for example, to help us fund tourism and improve the public realm.
Next Steps
Based on current government guidance, all six councils have agreed the most likely option is a single unitary council for East Sussex subject to consultation and further research. However, Hastings council has written to MCHLG expressing interest in research on two further options: a Labour proposal for two smaller unitaries (one coastal, one rural), and a federated model proposed by Hastings Independents.
A cross-party working group has been meeting to oversee the proposed reorganisation, alongside an officer group from across the six councils. The working groups’ results will inform my discussions with the Leaders and Chief Executives group, chaired by Zoe Nicholson, leader of Lewes District Council. We’ve agreed it is important that the borough and district councils, who are closest to residents, drive the design of the new council – not the county council. The full business case must be submitted to government in September.
It’s my belief that we can make this work for Hastings, but we must consult the public. I’ve committed to a full consultation programme with outreach across the borough. We are no cowards when it comes to change: change is exactly what this Green administration is here for. But local people must control the outcome of this change – not Westminster.
The Options for a New Council
Hastings BC established a cross-party working group with the goal of prioritising the interests of residents in the reform agenda, ensuring that Hastings had a strong voice in the reorganisation process, and making sure the new Sussex Mayor effectively represented the town’s concerns.
The working group pulled together the following three options for a new council structure:
Option 1: East Sussex Unitary Authority
This option, favoured by the Greens and the Conservatives, would see the creation of a new unitary council with the same boundaries as the current East Sussex County Council. It would be a completely new authority with responsibility for resources and statutory provision of services to a population of around 550,000
Option 2: Coastal Communities Council
Labour councillors are supporting the creation of a new coastal authority encompassing Hastings, Eastbourne, Bexhill, and Winchelsea. Serving a population of approximately 350,000, the authority would focus on communities which face similar challenges. It aims to ensure that resources are allocated more effectively to areas of greatest need, giving coastal communities more significant control over their local affairs.
Option 3: Federation of East Sussex Together The Hastings Independent Group supports the abolition of East Sussex CC and the retention of the five existing district councils – Hastings, Rother, Wealden, Lewes, and Eastbourne – collaborating on the provision of county-wide services, such as adult social care, highways and education, through a new Federation of East Sussex Together (FEAST) board.
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It is very worrying to read our council leader say ” There is no additional government funding for this complex reorganisation, we have to self-fund, including if necessary, selling off assets. ” This reorganisation is a political choice by the national government so it’s not ‘necessary’ in any real sense is it? Why does the council not refuse to allocate a single hour of officer time to this without the additional funding to do so? Why would the council decide to sell off our public assets to pay for a scheme we don’t think is necessary? Why don’t the councillors try to use their elected positions to refuse, obstruct and denounce the government for putting them in this position rather than meekly going along with it? The main reason I would like to see us keep our local council is so that we have elected politicians close to home who we can hold accountable for acting and speaking out on our behalf – not just act like government functionaries. I can only imagine this technocratic approach to implementing top-down instructions from government will just get worse if our elected councils are even further removed from localities. Politicians must remember they are not employees being line managed by council officers – they are elected to represent and have a duty to act in what they think is the best interests of their constituents. Is it really in our best interests to sell our assets or spend a penny of public money on this sham process where the outcome seems predetermined? If the government step in and force the changes through anyway it would be no worse than what they are doing now (asking councillors to do their dirty work for them) but at least we would know which politicians would best fight for us when the elections for a new unitary council comes around. And maybe a bit of resistance from a local council might even prompt some other district councils to take a stand too and maybe we could even see a serious fight against the real government agenda behind unitarisation which is just cost cutting and creating even less democratic accountability over ever reducing budgets for our local public services. I live in hope…
I think we should have a single local Council to run the affairs for both Hastings and St Leonards only.