Plans have been unveiled for the biggest shake-up in local government in the county in over fifty years. East Sussex County Council and Rother District Council would be abolished under the proposals, leading to fears about a lack of local representation.
The news comes in the same week Rye Town Council finished consultation on taking over some of the assets currently owned by Rother, including public toilets and car parks.
On Wednesday, September 10 the six main councils within East Sussex jointly published a draft version of a business case advocating for a “One East Sussex model” — in other words their replacement with a single new unitary authority based on the current county boundaries.
Each of the councils are due to consider this business case in the coming weeks, with cabinet members expected to decide whether to endorse its submission to the government or else to back an alternative proposal.
The draft business case reads: “The preferred ‘One East Sussex’ model of a single unitary authority for East Sussex offers the strongest platform for transformation, based on the existing district and borough council boundaries.
“It enables whole-system thinking and delivery, allowing for the integration of services such as housing, social care, education, and public health. This will lead to improved outcomes for residents, particularly in areas of high need, by reducing duplication, enabling earlier intervention, and supporting more strategic commissioning.
“While the financial modelling highlights a long-term structural deficit, it also shows that, when social care is excluded from consideration, the case for a single unitary becomes more compelling. The model delivers a positive return on investment, aligns with national policy, and positions East Sussex to play a leading role in regional growth and devolution.
According to the business case, the One East Sussex model would generate cumulative savings of £64m by 2032/33, with £25m of annual recurring savings.
Even with these savings, however, the business case warns the new council would still operate at a deficit unless action is taken to address an “ongoing social care funding shortfall”.
Without additional funding in this area, it argues, the new council would be on track to fully deplete its reserves. This would be due to a cumulative deficit of £5m in 2028/29, increasing to £226m by 2032/33 as well as an annual recurring structural budget deficit of £61m.
A consultation process also included a countywide survey held between May and June 2025, which gathered 5,500 responses.
While, the business case says, most respondents (nine out of 10) identified at least one benefit with the single unitary model, the survey also highlighted significant levels of concern around the loss of local representation.
Many respondents felt an East Sussex unitary would be too big, wouldn’t "understand their area well enough" or simply see their area "forgotten". The business case notes how a two unitary model could dilute these problems, but also potentially carry a risk of smaller or more deprived areas becoming marginalised.
If a single unitary model is agreed by the government, the new council is currently expected to hold its first elections in 2027. It would then be expected to spend a year as a “shadow authority” alongside the county’s six existing councils, before replacing them entirely in 2028.
