LOCAL GOVERNMENT REORGANISATION IS “NOT A POLICY CONSERVATIVES WOULD HAVE CHOSEN”
On 4th July 2025 at the General Election, the Labour Party gained a huge parliamentary majority with a historically low percentage of the vote. In effect, and as we have seen, it can implement whatever policies it chooses, wise or unwise, popular or otherwise, even if all the opposition parties were to vote against them.
On 16 December 2024 it issued a White Paper on the reorganization of local government. This was not a consultation or Green Paper but one setting out a plan which was going to be implemented without public consultation. The effect of the policy set out is that Borough and District councils would be abolished, Unitary authorities would be created and groupings of unitary authorities would be headed up by an elected mayor. The responsibility for taking this plan forward was placed on County Councils.
There was to be a priority phase and certain areas including Sussex (East, West and Brighton and Hove) were invited to become part of that priority phase. A deadline for applying to take part in the priority phase was imposed by the Government of 10 January, 2025. There was no doubt that whether in the priority phase or not, this reorganization would be imposed and quickly.
The Leaders of East and West Sussex County Council and of Brighton and Hove, in consultation with their respective councils, decided to apply to be in the priority phase. If accepted that would mean that there would be Mayoral elections in 2026, elections to shadow unitary authorities in 2027 with the three shadow authorities taking over the role of the current county councils and the unitary authority in Brighton and Hove in 2028, with the current County, District and Borough councils being abolished at that time.
As a result the application to be in the priority phase carried with it an application for the County Council elections due in May this year to be postponed. If this did not happen there would be elections in 2025 for a limited term, elections in 2026 and 2027 with a General Election due in 2029. Each election costs the council tax payer a great deal of money, for East and West Sussex something like £1.6 million in East Sussex and £2 million in West Sussex. That money could be better spent on local services.
As you may know the application by East and West Sussex and Brighton and Hove was accepted and the elections due in May this year will not now take place.
The policy for reorganization of local government was not one which the Conservative party would have chosen.
“We are opposed to top-down policies which do not consider the views of local people who are most affected”, said Helen Galley, Chairman of East Grinstead & Uckfield Conservatives. “This is a policy which the Labour party came up with and which we could not defeat. This is not a policy of the County Council’s making or of the Conservative Party’s making but we have to make the best of it in the interests of local people.”
It should also be pointed out that far from wishing to avoid local elections, the Conservative party locally had selected all its candidates for the May elections, had produced its initial leaflets and delivered some of them and will continue to do so. It will continue to oppose the damaging and divisive policies of the Government and fight for Conservative values.
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Media information from Helen Galley, tel 01825 713018
Caption: Helen Galley, Chairman of East Grinstead & Uckfield Conservatives
