41.1 The Cabinet considered a report by the Chief Executive.
41.2 It was RESOLVED to:
1) agree East Sussex County Council’s responses to Government’s statutory consultation on proposals for local government reorganisation in the East Sussex and Brighton & Hove area as set out in the appendices of the report; and
2) approve the submission to Government by the closing date of 11 January 2026.
Reasons
41.3 The report outlines that the ‘One East Sussex’ proposal for a single tier of Local Government for East Sussex as a unitary council on the current footprint of the county council, with Brighton and Hove City remaining unchanged, is underpinned by a clear evidence base.
41.4 The ‘One East Sussex’ proposal is the only option for LGR in East Sussex that:
· Aligns with existing service delivery footprints (e.g. social care, education, public health).
· Minimises disruption to statutory services and partnerships.
· Builds on established collaboration across the six councils.
· Meets the Government’s population guidance and maintains a coherent geographic identity.
· Creates operational savings and avoids the substantial costs of disaggregation.
· Does not require boundary changes at county or district level, which are costly and disruptive to implement.