Issue date: 16 January 2025
The new year is a time for optimism and for making the most of opportunities for prosperity and growth, in our personal and family lives and for all our communities here in West Sussex.
And 2025 is already shaping up to be an historic year for Sussex as we lay the foundations for greater devolved powers from central government.
West Sussex County Council, together with our partners in East Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council, have agreed that we want our region to be at the forefront of national plans to develop new Mayoral Authorities across the country.
Which is why we are asking government to be a part of its Devolution Priority Programme and among the first to unlock greater powers, greater influence, and a stronger voice for our communities here in Sussex.
At its core, devolution is about shifting power away from central government to give local communities the tools they need to deliver growth and plan investment in a way that works for them and in a way that they know best. It is about bringing the bigger decisions back to where they belong, with locally elected leaders focused on the needs of our area and representing all of us on the national stage.
It is a principle we champion in West Sussex with the county council’s proud tradition on focusing what matters most to our communities, listening to them and providing the services needed to safeguard and improve people’s lives. It is a commitment we demonstrate year-on-year through our work delivering on the priorities in Our Council Plan.
But I believe this is the time to make the most of the opportunity for devolution, strike while the iron is hot, and be among the first to access the benefits we need to help the whole of Sussex prosper now and for future generations.
A new devolution deal would mean new powers over funding and investment, regional transport and infrastructure, skills and employment, housing and planning, economic development and regeneration as well as providing locally based powers for protecting our environment, improving health, wellbeing and living standards, and making our communities safer. Many of these things are currently decided in Westminster. A Mayoral Authority for Sussex would create greater opportunities for local decision-making, empower local leaders and communities, and provide long-term financial stability.
Other regions of the country have, for some years, benefitted from the mayoral model for bringing local people and places together. That is much needed here in Sussex, and needed now, as I and council leaders in both East Sussex and Brighton & Hove agree.
If the government approves our request to be a front runner for devolution, there will be a period of public consultation when you will have the chance to have your say.
If we move forward, we will likely have elections for a Sussex mayor in May 2026, when all political parties and others will be able to put forward a candidate.
Had we not made this bid the Government have said that they will take a power in the English Devolution Bill to impose a mayor on places which cannot agree on the right geography, but that would be another three years from now. It would mean the same outcome but another three years of uncertain funding and increasing pressures on our current system of local government. Furthermore, government may force us into an arrangement with other places with which we have little in common and over which we have less influence.
We cannot ignore the fact there are big demands in Sussex and we very much welcome the opportunity to have devolved powers sooner rather than later to help tackle the health inequalities, boost economic growth, and increase accountability for decisions on where infrastructure is delivered and homes are built.
Local identity will remain. A Mayoral Authority for Sussex would be supported by unitary authorities which will continue to deliver the vast majority of services currently provided by district, borough and county councils across Sussex. Parish and neighbourhood councils will carry on their important roles in our communities. The Government’s ambition is for the new unitary authorities to be in place by May 2028, and a full proposal on these plans will have to be submitted to government later this year. So look out for those more detailed plans when they emerge.
I spoke in detail about our plans for devolution and local government reorganisation at a meeting of our Cabinet on Thursday 9 January. You can watch the meeting and read the papers in full.
All the while the Government is driving ahead with its plans, it is imperative we have a seat at the national table to ensure we achieve the best for our residents, our businesses and our communities here in West Sussex.
Developments over the next few months and years will set the scene for a Sussex that I’m sure will flourish and prosper. Whatever the future may hold, you have my word that the county council will remain true to delivering essential services and putting the needs of our residents first.
