Eight councils – Brighton and Hove City Council and all seven West Sussex districts – have submitted a letter expressing interest in joining forces to form a new “devolved” local authority.
The letter was sent in response to an invitation from the government which wants to create new combined councils run by directly elected “metro mayors” like Sadiq Khan in London or Andy Burnham in Greater Manchester.
The expression of interest covers an area with a population of more than 1.1 million people but has not been signed by Conservative-controlled West Sussex County Council.
The letter was signed by the leaders of Brighton and Hove City Council, Adur District Council, Arun, District Council, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council, Mid Sussex District Council and Worthing Borough Council.
All of the leaders are Labour or Liberal Democrat councillors and most already work together as part of the Greater Brighton Economic Board.
The expression of interest falls short of the most ambitious proposal in a recent report by the Institute for Government. The think-tank’s board includes two former Labour government ministers.
It published a report last week, looking at ways to spread “devolution” and said that one option locally was for Brighton and Hove to join forces with councils in either East Sussex or West Sussex.
Another would be for a combined authority covering the whole of historic Sussex.
The report said: “There is a strong case to be bold and to prioritise the creation of larger-scale regional mayoral devolution arrangements.
“A devolution settlement covering East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton and Hove would deliver a large-scale deal that aligns with historic boundaries and avoids Brighton having to choose whether to look east or west.”
The report recommends setting up a Sussex-wide council to be led by a directly elected mayor. This would cover an are with a population of more than 1.7 million.
East Sussex County Council is led by the Conservatives although they do not have a majority. None of the five district councils in East Sussex is run by the Conservatives any more, with Green leaders at Hastings, Lewes and Wealden. The Liberal Democrats have a majority in Eastbourne and Rother is run by an Independent at the helm of a coalition.
Brighton and Hove City Council leader Bella Sankey said: “Sussex has so much potential.
“We’re proudly home to a beautiful coastline and national park, three leading universities, a Premier League football team, international gateways including the UK’s second largest airport in Gatwick and the ports of Shoreham and Newhaven.
“We have so much to offer but have not yet reached our potential.”
Councillor Sankey added: “There’s extensive economic and business experience across all our local authority boundaries so we are well-placed to be involved in discussions about deeper collaboration through devolution.
“We’ve started the journey of building stronger partnerships in Sussex and are open to continuing these conversations and working together to find the right devolution geography that will work for all our residents.
“This is an exciting time. Devolution has the potential to unlock powers and funding that would drive economic growth and ensure that decisions are made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect.
“This is a very early stage in the process and we look forward to building further positive collaboration with partners across Sussex as further details from government emerge.”
The council said: “Overall, Sussex is an economically prosperous county, but there are significant regional disparities, with pockets of deprivation and unmet potential.
“Devolution has the potential to turn these challenges into opportunities and support collaboration to drive economic and social benefits.
“Engagement will continue with councils in Sussex and will include key strategic partners and businesses.
“Residents, businesses and local organisations will be involved at the earliest opportunity to inform and shape the process.”
The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner is expected to set out the next steps and to publish a government bill – or draft law – later this year.
