The Government aim to establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority across East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove
It also is proposed that a Mayoral Combined County Authority is established over the local authority areas of Hampshire County Council, Isle of Wight Council, Portsmouth City Council, and Southampton City Council. It will be called Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority
Sussex
The public are invited to give their views. Click HERE to respond to the consultation.
To read more about the proposals click HERE. Details of the questions can be found on this link
Hampshire
The public are invited to give their views. Click HERE to respond to the consultation.
To read more about the proposals click HERE Details of the questions can be found on this link
(The closing date is 13 April 2025)
The consultation seeks views on the effect of establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority in the area. It includes questions on the proposed geography and how the Combined County Authority will make decisions, together with questions on the effects of working across this geography through a Mayoral Combined County Authority.
The new combined authorities would have powers for strategic issues including transport, housing, skills and employment, economy, environment and climate change, health and public safety.
The Government have decided that these areas will be part of a ‘Devolution Priority Programme‘. The aim is to work towards an election for the Mayor of the Strategic Authority in May 2026.
Next Steps
The government will assess the consultation responses during the spring before deciding whether to go ahead with a mayoral combined authority for Sussex. Final proposals to create one or more unitary councils in Sussex will be submitted to the government this September by East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council and Brighton & Hove City Council. If accepted by Government, elections to the new council or councils would take place in 2027.
Written Responses
Written responses to the consultation questions may be sent by email to:
SussexandBrightonDevolutionConsultation@communities.gov.uk
or:
HampshireandSolentDevolutionConsultation@communities.gov.uk
Or post to:
Devolution Priority Programme Consultation
English Devolution and Institutions Team
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
4th Floor
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF
(The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government will not acknowledge receipt of responses).
South Downs National Park & Parish/Town Councils
This reorganisation of local government does not seem to affect the powers of the South Downs National Park which would still be the planning authority inside the Park boundaries. However the changes will affect the membership since one-third of the members come from local authorities including district councils. District councils are to be abolished and county councils are likely to become the unitary councils. At this stage we don’t know the final boundaries of those unitary authorities. Parish and town councils seem to be completely unaffected by these changes.