East Sussex County Council has started a court case to try to stop Brighton and Hove City Council from taking over East Saltdean, Teslcombe Cliffs and Peacehaven.
The move follows an announcement about the boundary change by the former Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, in July.
Last month, the new Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Angela Rayner announced a pause on the shake up of local councils after receiving legal advice in response to possible legal action.
The Reform UK leader of the county council, Andy Woolley, said: “The council has issued an application for judicial review challenging the Secretary of State’s decision on LGR (local government reorganisation).
“The application has been issued on a protective basis to preserve the council’s position in relation to the applicable legal time limit while the government’s review is undertaken.
“The council is seeking a stay of the proceedings pending the outcome of that review, at which point it will consider its next steps.”
Councillor Woolley told BBC Politics South East that the plans “would remove 26,000 people from our footprint of East Sussex, historically”.
And he previously told BBC Radio Sussex that residents had “consistently raised serious concerns”. He said: “It’s a pattern of sustained and meaningful objection.”
Councillor Woolley and Councillor Zoe Nicholson, the Green leader of Lewes District Council, both said in July that they would consider a legal challenge to the government’s plans.
The Eats Sussex leader said that the pause was a “common sense decision that should have been taken months ago”.
The BBC reported Councillor Nicholson as saying that she welcomed the move and said that residents’ interests must be protected “until the plan to annex parts of our district are abandoned”.
The BBC quoted Jacob Taylor, the Labour deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, saying that the three areas were “very closely aligned with the Brighton economy” and were “intrinsically connected” to the city in terms of transport, work and education.
Councillor Taylor said: “Personally, I think it would be great if those areas became part of Brighton and Hove. It would be much better than being part of a large East Sussex unitary.”
No one wants Labour
Except the vast majority of the voting public, at the last election and the past two by elections…
Just trying to manipulate the right wing voters which is basically all those areas and drown them out with all the looney leftk voters in Brighton to manipulate the next general election results. Clear as day!!
This is welcome news. Ms Sankey appears to be believe she can operate a Sussex dictatorship for her own personal aggrandisement and political gain.
And clearly cllr Taylor is full of BS
Well done Saltdean & Peacehaven, who wants to share in Brighton & Hove’s debt!!??
Well done, wasting loads of time and money on a pointless judicial review where the judge will say, it was in the manifesto which was democratically elected in, circa thrown out quicker than a kebab the morning after…
What manifesto are you talking about, Dave? It sure as hell wasn’t in the last Labour manifesto for BH local elections in May 2023.
Leave them as an outpost in the bottom left corner of a massive county paying more council tax then. They would be far better off being in Brighton and Hove but no great loss to B&H if they stay where they are. It looks like this is being driven by Lewes District Council who are fighting for their lives as the plans mean they will disappear.
We would prefer if Rottingdean, Woodingdean and Saltdean could all become part of East Sussex County Council.
A much more sensible move. BHCC cannot even maintain the areas it has properly.
When are you moving out then…
Good. Brighton and Hove is not even working as a unitary authority and is fast becoming little more than a graffiti-ridden drug ghetto. Why on earth would other areas want the benefit of its incompetence, dysfunction, deliberate dereliction and mass money wastage for no public or area gain? It needs to sort itself out first.
This is NOT a political decision. Why is everyone turning it into one? (Nothing better to do?)
Personally speaking, and having lived in Brighton and Hove for 26 years, I cannot do anything else but congratulate the current council on doing an excellent job. This is a personal observation and NOT a political rant! Thumbs up! If you want to play politics, go to the playground and enjoy!
Do you honestly think the people of B&H want to be lumbered with these backwater suburbs?
Only for their land and assets and to claim a larger patch. BHCC have no interest in Peacehaven and Telscombe beyond what they can get out of them.
It is just a land grab pure and simple.
“We”? Who are you speaking on behalf of? Those I know in those areas much prefer B&HCC rather than be a forgotten area in the bottom corner of an inept ESCC.
Portslade didn’t want to be joined with Hove in the 70’s, but it was forced through. Hove didn’t want to be joined with Brighton again it was forced through. When Brighton became a City the costs rose greatly. It’s just so Brighton council can use these areas as a cash cow.
When the new power station was built the residents of Portslade were given compensation for the infrastructure works that were carried out in the streets of Portslade. Brighton council decided that the money, given to Portslade would be spent in East Brighton. That was until the residents of Portslade went up in arms and threatened them with legal action and lost votes.