Brighton & Hove City Council, in collaboration with local authorities across Sussex, have formally submitted an Expression of Interest (EoI) to the UK government to explore devolution.
Council leader, Bella Sankey received support from other councils, including Horsham District Council, Worthing Borough Council, Mid Sussex District Council, Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Crawley Borough Council, and Chichester District Council, to explore new opportunities within devolution. The proposed authority would cover an area with over 1.1 million people but does not include West Sussex County Council, which is a Conservative-run administration.
The push towards devolution follows the UK government’s announcement in July that it would be inviting applications for devolution deals in areas where such arrangements do not currently exist. Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, formally invited council leaders to submit their Expression of Interests by the end of September.
The government’s devolution initiative seeks to transfer greater powers to regional authorities, allowing them to have more control over local priorities, economic development, and public services. For Brighton & Hove, and Sussex as a whole, this represents a significant opportunity to shape the region’s development.
This cross-county collaboration aims to address local challenges and harness the economic potential of Sussex. Councillor Sankey hopes to strengthen local governance and bring decision-making closer to the communities and businesses that it affects.
Councillor Sankey: “We’ve started the journey of building stronger partnerships in Sussex and are open to continuing these conversations and working together to find the right devolution geography that will work for all our residents.”
The next steps will involve ongoing collaboration with government officials, local authorities, and the broader community to shape the future of devolution in Sussex, while Brighton & Hove wait to hear from the government.
For residents and businesses in Brighton & Hove, this could mean more localised decision-making, improved services, and greater opportunities for development, all designed to meet the specific needs of the region. If you want to understand exactly what this may do for your projects, the planning process or local politics, please get in touch.
Comments