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Last chance to have your say on devolution plans

Lucinda Adam
BBC Sussex, political reporter
Getty Images The Sussex flag blows in the wind at the top of a flagpole against a clear blue sky. The flag is bright blue with six yellow martlet birds.Getty Images
The government's consultation into plans for priority scheme devolution and local government reorganisation in Sussex and Brighton & Hove ends this weekend

People have until Sunday to give their comments on plans for devolution, which includes an elected mayor and an overhaul of local government across Sussex and Brighton & Hove.

In December, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced plans for a 'devolution revolution' with elected mayors across England and an end to two-tier council structures.

In February, Sussex was confirmed as one of six areas accepted onto the government's priority scheme for devolution and county council elections due to take place this May were cancelled.

A government consultation into the plans will end at midnight on Sunday.

Reorganising our councils

Under the plans, all 12 of the boroughs and district councils and East and West Sussex county councils will be scrapped.

An elected mayor will take on responsibility for strategic decisions on the economy, transport and infrastructure and new unitary authorities will be created to run all of the day-to-day services.

Current council leaders have been thrashing out plans on how many unitary authorities there will be and which areas they will cover.

Brighton and Hove is already run by a unitary city council, but it is smaller than the government wants new authorities to be.

Initial plans published in January suggest the political map of Sussex could be significantly redrawn in the reorganisation.

Fast-track timetable

Leaders must finalise plans and submit them to the government by September and wait for a final ministerial decision on whether they can proceed.

The proposed timetable for fast-track devolution would see Sussex residents elect their first mayor in May 2026.

Elections to the new unitary authorities would take place in May 2027.

For the following year, existing councils would continue to run alongside the new unitary authorities while business is handed over, before being dissolved in 2028.

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