How far along the coast should a new Unitary Authority comprising Adur extend? That is one of the questions that Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government posed on 25 March in his statement about local government reorganisation. Should it go as far as the boundary with Hampshire and include Chichester and the Witterings or stop just after Bognor Regis?
All the counties of West and East Sussex, Hampshire, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex and cities like Brighton & Hove, Portsmouth and Southampton were expecting a decision in March on the local government re-organisation proposals that they submitted last year. And all except Sussex and Brighton & Hove were given the go-ahead last week.
But the Secretary of State has deferred the decision that will affect Adur because, he said, of “concerns regarding all four of the proposals”. Those concerns included possible limits on Brighton & Hove’s future economic growth and the nature of local identities and specific challenges of coastal and rural communities in West Sussex.
Instead, the Government is suggesting that Adur should be part of smaller Unitary Authority than our Council originally imagined, and it is also proposing an enlarged footprint for Brighton & Hove to the east of the city. Ours would include Worthing and Arun, as well as Adur, but not Chichester. It would make it about a quarter smaller than the original proposal and be much more focused on the coastal area.
Another opportunity to have a local say…?
The Government will hold a second consultation on the new plans after the local elections in May and will decide in the summer. The overall timescale is unchanged with elections to the new Unitary Authority in 2027 which would take over from the district and county councils in 2028.
The consultation will seek further views to see whether the proposals reflect distinct communities and identities; for example, by not diluting the largely rural identity of Chichester with the specific coastal challenges and local needs of Adur, Worthing and Arun. Since Adur and Worthing are already largely integrated at an administrative level the change involved by adding Arun, with its civic centre in Littlehampton, would be far less than if, say, the main offices of the new Unitary Authority were in Chichester.
The original proposals that all the district and borough councils in West Sussex agreed in September last year were formulated through a programme of research and consultation called “Shaping West Sussex”. In the coming months we will have a further opportunity to focus our attention even more sharply on the future shape of Adur and Worthing.
Will we be absorbed into a very big Unitary Authority including a large rural area right up to the borders of Surrey and Hampshire? Or will our future shape simply extend along the coast with Arundel, Littlehampton and Bognor Regis joining us in one coastal community?
Watch this space for further news about the government consultation on its proposal for a smaller Unitary Authority of just Adur, Worthing and Arun.
Looks like a much more acceptable alternative, if we have to be reorganised! Much more democratic, with councillors and officers who are more aware of our local needs.