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Welcome to this week’s blog of 2025 - thanks for having a read. We should find out soon about the Sussex devolution bid. If the government agrees,  the 1.8 million residents of Sussex will be electing a mayor next year to formulate regional strategy instead of the government and oversee some public services like the police . In 2027 we could elect new Unitaries to replace WSCC and CDC: East Sussex could form one, part of our County could join with Brighton & Hove to form a second and the rest of us make a third (in which our District might have about a fifth of the Councillors.) This, unsurprisingly, came up on Tuesday when Donna, Val and I had Full CDC. We learnt that CDC had received the Post Hearings Letter from the Local Plan Inspectors and it was, in simple speak, nearly over the line. We also agreed amendments to the Infrastructure Business Plan and Donna spoke against aspects of a motion which asked the Leader to write to our MP to request they actively support measures...

  Welcome to this week’s blog - thanks for having a read. Last week we discussed the Sussex devolution bid. If you missed it: - The government is expected to decide quite quickly whether the 1.8 million residents of Sussex will be electing a mayor next year t o formulate regional strategy and oversee some public services like the police . In 2027 we would then elect new Unitaries: East Sussex could form one, part of our County could join with Brighton & Hove to form a second and the rest of us make a third (in which our District might have about a fifth of the Councillors.)  As the Leader and Leader of the Opposition of CDC, Adrian Moss and I have written to the Secretary of State  to express concern about whether there will be sufficient local consultation. This week Donna and Val had CDC’s Planning Committee on Wednesday, while in the evening Donna and I went to Sidlesham Parish Council. On Thursday, Donna had CDC’s Joint Employee Consultative Panel while Ian and I ...

  Wel come to our first blog of 2025 - we hope you enjoyed the festive break and have some happy, enduring memories to look back upon. Please take care in the cold weather and look out for the elderly, very young and people with medical conditions. . Just before Christmas the Government published its White Paper on English devolution, which follows a consultation last summer. Gareth found this helpful explanation about how regional strategy will be devolved to areas of 1.5 million people. A condition is they replace County and District councils with Unitary ones normally representing 500,000 people: existing smaller ones, like Brighton & Hove with 280,000 people, might have to enlarge.  You may have read that Donna, who leads the Green and Independent Group at WSCC, spoke at the decisive Cabinet meeting which agreed to jointly express interest with East Sussex and Brighton & Hove to be part of the Government’s priority programme. Together they have a combined popula...