9th January 2025
Cllr Julia Hilton, Leader of Hastings Borough Council, condemns Tory plans to cancel East Sussex County Council’s elections
East Sussex Conservatives today voted to use the government’s recently announced shake-up of local councils as a means to suspend the May 2025 County elections. If agreed by Government, this would keep them in power at ESCC for at least two more years.
The dying Conservative regime – which has spent the last ten years resisting meaningful climate action – has been hanging onto power by a thread since 2023. If the elections are cancelled, they would be the ones to decide who leads the creation of a new mega-council, sweeping away Hastings and all the other district and borough councils in East and West Sussex.
The Green Group of Councillors called for today’s Extraordinary General Meeting at County Hall in Lewes, in order that the full council could at least debate the matter. Other parties joined the Greens in supporting their motion to reject the Conservative plan to request cancellation of the elections in order to make the priority list for devolution. They argued that the devolution process could still happen without cancelling the elections. Sadly, they lost the vote 23-21.
Greens across Eas Sussex have come together to write to the Minister for Local Government, asking that he reject ESCC’s request. You can write too using our template here.
The Government’s decision should be announced by the end of the month.