PLANS which would have seen Wealden District Council abolished and replaced by a new East Sussex authority have been put on hold by the Government.
The major development comes less than two months after ministers announced that a modified version of the One East Sussex proposal would go ahead, subject to Parliamentary approval.
Under those plans, Wealden District Council, East Sussex County Council and the county’s four other district and borough councils were due to be replaced by a single unitary authority from April 2028.
However, the Government has now launched a review of its Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) programme following updated legal advice.
Communities Secretary Angela Rayner announced the review in Parliament, saying ministers wanted to ensure the process was robust, complied with the law and reflected the priorities of the new administration and Prime Minister.
East Sussex is among 14 areas where decisions announced in July are now being reviewed and implementation has been paused.
Councils affected by the July decisions have been told to stop work on implementing them until the review has concluded.
It means the previously announced timetable for abolishing Wealden District Council and creating a new East Sussex unitary authority can no longer be regarded as settled.
The Government has also confirmed that local elections scheduled for May 2027 will now go ahead using existing council boundaries.
In July, the Government announced that, subject to Parliamentary approval, most of East Sussex would become a single unitary authority.
The plans would have seen Wealden, Rother and Lewes district councils, Eastbourne and Hastings borough councils and East Sussex County Council replaced by the new authority.
East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe were instead due to become part of an expanded Brighton & Hove City Council.
Those arrangements are now included in the Government’s review.
Councillor Rachel Millward, leader of Wealden council, said, “We made clear in our initial response that the process was moving too quickly and had not been fully thought through.
“It is disappointing that significant time and public money have been invested before the government reached a similar conclusion. We now need to consider carefully what this decision means for residents, businesses and communities across Wealden, as well as our partners and neighbours throughout East Sussex.
“While the government takes time to review its approach and determine the next steps, residents and businesses can be reassured that Wealden District Council will continue to operate as usual, delivering the high-quality services and support that our communities rely on every day.
“Our priority remains unchanged: to serve our residents, support local businesses and work constructively with partners across East Sussex to secure the best possible outcomes for our area.”
The decision was welcomed by East Sussex County Council leader Andy Woolley (Reform), who said he hoped the review may see the government rethink its plans to redraw boundaries.
Cllr Woolley said: “While we’ve been working closely with our partners to build a sound and effective unitary council, we’ll use this pause to ask for more evidence for the reasoning behind the government’s decision in July to separate a part of East Sussex for transfer to Brighton and Hove.
“This review will offer the chance to present the detailed evidence behind that decision. We hope the Secretary of State will permanently think again.
“We are continuing to hold government to account to ensure that decisions on LGR are evidence based and in the best interests of local people and will be seeking to understand how local areas will be involved in the review and the new timelines that we are expected to work towards.”
