Do you ever try to figure out who’s responsible for fixing a pothole, collecting your bins, or approving a planning application, you’re not alone. Local government can sometimes feel very complex—lots of tiers, not always clear on who does what. That’s where talk of reorganisation and devolution comes in… The idea is that this will make things simpler and easier or will it !!!!
Devolution involves introducing strategic authorities across England, each with an elected mayor, so that government can hand more powers down from Whitehall. Elected mayors will oversee areas representing two or more current county council geographical areas and will be handed more power over things such as strategic housing and planning, transport, environment, business and research, and public safety. A strategic authority would represent a population size of at least 1.5 million residents. This means shifting decision-making powers from central government in London to more local areas. Think of it as giving West Sussex a bit more say over its own destiny.
This is more about tidying up the structure of local councils. Right now, West Sussex has a two-tier system: a county council and several district or borough councils. Each has its own responsibilities, which can sometimes overlap or feel confusing. Reorganisation could mean simplifying this—perhaps merging councils into a single “unitary” authority that handles everything.
Supporters say it could make services more efficient, reduce duplication, and save money. Instead of multiple councils each handling different bits of the puzzle, one streamlined organisation could, in theory, make decisions faster and clearer.
On the flip side, some people worry that bigger councils might feel more distant from local communities. After all, local councillors actually know what’s going on in a village and there’s something reassuring about having a councillor just down the road that understands your specific area and needs. The jury is also out regarding the cost, the government reckon this will save money others say it will cost more and be less democratic.
In December 2024, the government invited county and unitary (upper tier) authorities to submit bids for devolution by 10 January 2025 to secure a place on their priority programme. West Sussex County Council, East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove Council requested to create a strategic authority based on their combined footprint, which covers around 1.7 million residents.
The government approved this proposal for the devolution priority programme and consulted with residents and businesses (consultation closed on 13 April 2025). The aim was to agree on the new strategic authority by September 2025, followed by Mayoral elections, to take place in May 2026.
Unfortunately this timetable wasn’t met and Councils had to start reinstating local elections which had been postponed. Hence we have WSCC elections now being held in May. Local Councils had hoped that Central Government would agree their democratically chosen proposals.
West Sussex local authorities were expecting a decision from the Government on local government reorganisation in our area by the end of March. The Government issued an update on the 25th March 2026 . They stated that they had not made a decision on which unitary solution to apply in Sussex and instead have confirmed they will be running a second consultation on plans covering the whole of Sussex.
The new consultation will see two variations on the proposals already submitted by Sussex local authorities. The first proposed modification is moving Chichester District Council into a unitary with Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council and Mid Sussex District Council. Leaving a second unitary in West Sussex comprising Arun District Council, Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council. Thus moving from 5 Unitary Authorities (UAs) to 4 UAs as below.
Unitary A: Eastbourne, Hastings, Rother, Wealden and remaining parts of Lewes (pop: around 537,000)
Unitary B: Arun, Adur, Worthing (pop: around 349,000)
Unitary C: Brighton plus following wards and parish from Lewes (as requested) – East Saltdean & Telscombe Cliffs, Peacehaven West, Peacehaven East, Peacehaven North, Falmer Parish (from Kingston ward) (pop: around 308,000)
Unitary D: Crawley, Chichester, Horsham, Mid Sussex (around 566,000)
The consultation will begin after the local elections in May, and a decision is expected in the summer after the consultation period closes and new representations are considered. The overall timescale for reorganisation remains the same with elections to the new shadow unitary authorities expected in 2027 preparing for the new authorities to formally launch in 2028.
For most people, day-to-day life won’t suddenly change overnight. Your bins will still get collected, roads will still be maintained, and planning applications will still be processed. The hope is that behind the scenes, things become a bit smoother and easier to navigate.
Nothing is set in stone yet. These kinds of changes take time, consultation, and plenty of debate. It’s a bit like reorganising your kitchen—you know it’ll be better in the long run, but there’s a lot of sorting out to do first.
Devolution and reorganisation might sound like big political buzzwords, but at heart they’re about making local government work better for the people it serves. Whether it’s a light tidy-up or a full makeover, West Sussex is simply exploring how to make things clearer, simpler, and a bit more local.
And if it also makes figuring out who fixes that pothole a little easier… well, that’s a win for everyone. Time will tell.