19/07/2025
Residents, businesses and community groups across the county are being invited to share their views about the future of their councils as part of an important survey launching on 17 July at: www.shapingwestsussex.org
All West Sussex residents and organisations are invited to complete a survey asking about where they live or work, the council services they use, as well as what matters to them about how their council could be structured in the future.
The survey will close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 13 August. This is just the start of local government reorganisation in West Sussex and as we move through the process, we will continue to seek your views.
All councils in the area are working together to gather views that will help shape proposals for the future of local government in the county. The government has asked councils to explore how local government reorganisation could work in the area, with the aim of creating a new unitary council model, or models – replacing the current two-tier system with a single-tier council responsible for all local services.
What is local government reorganisation?
Local government reorganisation is a process of restructuring local government to simplify the way services are delivered. Instead of having separate county and district or borough councils, a unitary model brings everything together into one organisation – from bin collections and housing to education and adult social care. Town or parish councils will remain as they are.
This is different from devolution, which involves transferring powers from central government to regional or national governments, whereas local government reorganisation focuses on streamlining existing local structures.
Why your voice matters
As part of the requirement for submitting a proposal on what unitary options we believe are best for West, the government has asked us to ensure out resident, partners and businesses are fully engaged with the process and given the opportunity to have their say. The Government will make the final decision on our submission which will then lead to further consultation, run by them, whereby residents and others will be able to feed in their views to inform the decision.
Our job is to develop the options, and we want to ensure our resident, partners and businesses have the opportunity to input to help inform what options we put to the government.
This is a significant change that will affect how local services are run in the future – and how decisions are made about the things that matter most to you. That’s why it’s vital that residents, community groups, and businesses have their say at this early stage.
Your input now will help build a strong foundation for a new council that truly reflects the people it serves. Once the business case has been submitted on 26 September 2025, the Government will begin a formal consultation process.
A Government decision on local government reorganisation in West Sussex is expected in spring 2026. After this we will further engage with residents, staff, councillors and businesses on the design of how the new council will look. Further engagement will follow in line with the chosen model and implementation schedule.
Whatever changes are agreed, vital local services will continue – from waste collection and public health to care for older people and support for families. The aim of local government reorganisation is not to reduce services, but to simplify how they are delivered and to ensure that local voices are heard more clearly in decision-making.
West Sussex County Council Leader, Cllr Paul Marshall, said: “We urge everyone in West Sussex to take the time to respond to this survey. We believe that local government reorganisation, done correctly, will deliver for residents, communities and businesses. This is your opportunity to have your say on the first steps in this process and will provide vital feedback as we move towards our submission to Government in September 2025 on what we believe are the best options for the county.”
Take part in the survey
The survey is now live at www.shapingwestsussex.org and will be open until 11.59pm on 13 August. Whether you’ve lived in the area for decades, work here or have just moved in, your views are important. This is a unique opportunity to help shape a new council that works for you, your family and your community.
