West Sussex
English county awaiting a Local Government Reorganisation decision due October 2026.
On 7 September 2026, West Sussex, held back from July's reorganisation decisions, was folded into a ministerial rapid review of the whole programme, and its May 2027 council elections will run on existing boundaries.
Last refreshed: 7 October 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Timeline for West Sussex
McMahon drops four mergers on legal advice
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: £63m and an October deadline for LGR
UK Local Elections 2026Received an October 2026 decision date
UK Local Elections 2026: West Sussex staffs shadow councils, boundaries unsetMentioned in: Reed holds back two council reorganisations
UK Local Elections 2026Mentioned in: How English mayors got the transfer vote back
UK Local Elections 2026Background
West Sussex is a county in South East England with around 900,000 residents, governed in two tiers by West Sussex County Council and its district and borough councils. It lies within the Sussex and Brighton devolution programme area, whose elected mayor has been postponed to May 2028.
Under the government's local government reorganisation programme, its two tiers were due to be replaced by unitary authorities. In July 2026 it was one of only two areas, with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, left without a decision when the rest of the programme was settled.
Since 7 September 2026 its future structure has sat inside a wider ministerial review, with no date set for a decision and its present councils continuing for now.
West Sussex awaits its new shape
On 16 July, Communities Secretary Steve Reed held back the reorganisation decision for West Sussex, with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, saying more time was needed to "get these decisions right". The county was left without a boundary, election date or vesting day while 14 other areas moved ahead. West Sussex officers still had to recruit for shadow authorities whose boundaries did not yet exist.
On 7 September, local government minister Jim McMahon put all 14 reorganisation decisions taken on 16 July under a rapid review with no end date and folded West Sussex into it. Council elections in May 2027 will go ahead on existing boundaries, so no shadow authority will be elected for the county next year.
How many people live in West Sussex?
When will West Sussex's local government reorganisation be decided?
Is West Sussex getting a directly elected mayor?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 7 October 2026. Editorial standards.