PLANS which would have seen Rother District Council abolished and replaced by a new East Sussex authority have been put on hold by the Government.
The major change 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, Rother 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.
But 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.
The Government has told councils affected by those decisions to stop work on implementing them until the review has concluded.
It means the previously announced timetable for creating a new East Sussex authority can no longer be regarded as settled.
The Government has also confirmed that local elections in May 2027 will go ahead using existing council boundaries.
‘No immediate changes for Rother’
Rother District Council leader Councillor Doug Oliver said residents may be wondering what the announcement means following months of work on the proposed reorganisation.
He said: “I want to reassure everyone that, while we wait for further information from Government, there will be no immediate changes for our council or the services we provide.
“In the meantime, I will be working with colleagues from the other district and borough councils, as well as East Sussex County Council, to ensure decisions on LGR are evidence-based and in the best interests of local people.
“We will be seeking to understand how Rother and other areas in East Sussex will be involved in the review and the new timescales we are expected to work towards.”
The Government announced in July that, subject to Parliamentary approval, most of East Sussex would become a single unitary authority.
The plans would have seen Rother, Wealden 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.
Angela Rayner said she wanted to ensure the correct process was in place and complied with the law, as well as testing whether the LGR proposals met the priorities of the new Government.
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.”
The Government says it remains committed to effective and sustainable local government and simplifying council structures.
For now, Rother District Council will continue operating as normal while the Government decides its next steps.
