What’s Happening and Why It Matters
Local government in England is in the midst of one of its most ambitious waves of change in decades — and it’s a process with deep implications for communities like ours here in Hurstpierpoint and across Sussex.
What Is Changing and Why
The UK Government’s current programme of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) aims to reshape how councils across England are structured and how they deliver services to local people. The goal is to move away from the traditional two-tier system where a county council shares responsibilities with several smaller district or borough councils, towards a simplified structure of single-tier unitary authorities.
The changes are part of a broader effort to simplify government structures, reduce duplication, and hopefully improve decision-making on issues like housing, transport and social care.
Under the current proposals published by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, councils across many counties, including East and West Sussex, County Councils and Brighton & Hove City Council, were invited to submit proposals outlining how their area could transition to unitary local government.
These proposals were followed by public consultations in 2025, with final decisions expected from Government in Spring 2026. If approved, the new authorities would begin delivering services by 2028.
In West Sussex, councils worked jointly on a shared business case setting out options for both a single county-wide unitary authority and an alternative model of two unitary councils covering the county.
Why This Matters for Local People
For local communities, these changes could bring advantages, like clearer accountability and a single point of contact for planning, housing, transport and other services. But there are also real risks and concerns:
1. Democratic Accountability and Timing
Some councils have argued that holding elections during a reorganisation process, or postponing them, could weaken democratic accountability. This was a key reason why dozens of councils across England sought delays to local elections originally scheduled for 2025 and 2026, in order to focus resources on delivering the reorganisation effectively.
2. Risk of Administrative “Brain Drain”
One of the less discussed but serious risks of large-scale structural change (already evidenced here in Mid Sussex), is the loss of experienced staff with local intelligence.
- Reorganisation usually leads to redundancies and the reshaping of senior leadership teams as new councils are formed. Some council officers with specialist skills in areas like local planning, economic development, IT, or legal services may take early retirement or move to other sectors if they see their roles disappearing or changing substantially.
- This risks losing local institutional knowledge, especially during a period when councils need experienced planners and officers to manage complex transitions and consult on new policies.
- This risk is magnified in smaller district councils where teams are already lean and often overstretched. Loss of experience in planning, for example, could slow down valuable local reviews and undermine the quality of engagement with communities on future development proposals.
3. Impact on Local and District Planning Reviews
Planning policy — from neighbourhood plans to district-wide frameworks — is undergoing its own review and reform nationally, with new guidance expected from Government on aligning local plans to strategic economic priorities.
When Council Structures Change:
- Planning responsibilities may shift to new authorities with different priorities or resource limitations.
- Transition periods can create bottlenecks for neighbourhood planning groups, developers and local stakeholders.
- In West Sussex, where district councils have traditionally had a strong role in shaping local planning, the move to unitary authorities could centralise decisions, for better or worse, depending on how well transition teams preserve local perspectives.
A coherent planning review process is critical: it determines where homes, workplaces, transport infrastructure, and community facilities will be built over the next decade. If this work slows down or loses expertise, it could affect everything from local design standards to housing delivery targets.
What It Means for Hurstpierpoint Residents
For residents of Hurstpierpoint and surrounding parishes, the stakes of this reorganisation are local and practical:
- Your voice on services and developments:
A larger unitary authority might make decisions farther from parish perspectives, unless local engagement mechanisms are strengthened. - Planning certainty:
Neighbourhood plans and local planning applications will need continuity during the transition to ensure that community visions are realised and not sideline - Local representation:
Ensuring that communities aren’t diluted in broader governance structures will require active engagement from residents, businesses and civic groups.
What You Can Do
Participation in consultations on local government proposals and planning reviews has ended. During this transition, you can sign up to the Government’s website here to stay informed about the outcomes of Government decisions expected in the Spring 2026.
Local government exists to serve you, and during this period of change, Hurstpierpoint Society will endeavour to keep you informed here, and sincerely hope for continuity of expertise as councils merge or transform.
As ‘The Local Plan Review’ continues, we will shortly post what is happening with our imminent next foray into this on our Planning Page. Our input will help shape a system that reflects local priorities, strengthens services, and preserves what matters most to our community. Join Us HERE, in this most challenging period for two decades.