Sussex and Brighton
English combined authority covering Sussex and Brighton; mayoral election postponed to May 2028.
Last refreshed: 10 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why was the Sussex and Brighton mayoral election delayed by two years?
Latest on Sussex and Brighton
- When is the Sussex and Brighton mayoral election?
- Postponed from 7 May 2026 to May 2028 by MHCLG on 16 February 2026.
- What councils are in the Sussex and Brighton combined authority?
- East Sussex County Council, West Sussex County Council, and Brighton and Hove unitary authority.
Background
Sussex and Brighton is a proposed combined-authority area in South East England covering East Sussex, West Sussex, and the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove. The area was designated in the 2025 Devolution Priority Programme for a directly-elected regional mayor.
The inaugural Sussex and Brighton mayoral election, originally scheduled for 7 May 2026, was postponed by MHCLG to May 2028 on 16 February 2026, one of four DPP mayoral elections pushed back by two years. East Sussex County Council and West Sussex County Council still hold principal-authority elections on 7 May 2026 — the 9 February 2026 Commons adjournment debate that hosted Robert Jenrick's continuity-of-advice statement concerned the West Sussex elections specifically.
West Sussex is a target for both Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, making it an unusual election-night battleground where the two opposition parties directly compete. Brighton and Hove's unitary elections add a Green Party dimension absent from most English county contests. The 2028 mayoral vote, when it eventually arrives, must square those three distinct political cultures into a single combined authority — a governance challenge the postponement gives two extra years to prepare for.