The Shoreham Society and Adur District Council are very keen for residents of Shoreham to be informed about devolution, to discuss it with other residents and to express your considered views to local councillors. Ultimately, it is your elected district councillors who will influence the shape that devolution eventually takes in Shoreham.
Devolution means that from 2026 there will be a new strategic local authority for the whole of Sussex with an elected mayor. It also means that by 2027 Adur District, which includes Shoreham, Southwick and Lancing, will become part of a very much larger ‘unitary’ authority. Adur District and its council as we know it will cease to exist. The unitary authority will combine the responsibilities and powers of the District and County Councils into one local government entity. The new unitary authority will probably not be a large as West Sussex, which has a population of about 900,000, but it will be significantly larger than Adur & Worthing where about 180,000 people live.
So where will Shoreham-by-Sea fit in? Will it become part of Brighton? Will Adur and Worthing perhaps merge with the other coastal district councils, Arun and Chichester? Will it stay in West Sussex which might lose districts like Crawley and Mid-Sussex?
Right now, who knows! But over the next few weeks there is an opportunity to have you say on any and every aspect of devolution, so that together we might all influence what the future holds.
Thriving Together
Adur & Worthing want to see local voices shaping local priorities. To this end they have launched a new online platform to give you a voice in the government’s planned changes for Sussex. The leader of Adur District Council, Councillor Jeremy Gardner, says, “this is a real opportunity for local people, businesses and organisations to shape the future of our district.”
If you go to https://www.adur-worthing.gov.uk/devolution/thriving-together/ you can click through to the Thriving Together Platform where you can share your ideas and perspectives and view other people’s wishes, concerns and priorities for the future of Adur & Worthing.
On Thursday 17 July in the morning there is a “Visions and Priorities Workshop” in the Shoreham Centre, in which you can participate in person with other residents and elected representatives. Register to attend via the Thriving Together platform while places are still available.
The Big, Beautiful Devolution Debate
On Friday 18 July, the Shoreham Society’s regular monthly evening event will be The Big Devolution Debate. It will feature two keynote speakers who know more than most about the government’s proposals. Jeremy Gardner is Labour Councillor for St Mary’s and Leader of Adur District Council. Andy McGregor is Conservative Councillor for Widewater and leads for the Tories on devolution.
You will have plenty of opportunities to ask questions and discuss the proposals with other people. At the end of the evening there will be a vote to decide whether we support the devolution proposals…or not.
It should be a fun, participative evening in St Peter’s Church Hall, West Street, Shoreham, BN43 5DJ at 7.00pm on Friday 18 July.
Sussex And The City
If you would like to gain a wider perspective on devolution, take a look at the bulletins and listen to the podcasts being published by Sussex And The City. There are some interesting topics, interviews and questions about how devolution and its associated local government reorganisation might affect the whole of Sussex and Brighton over the next two years.
Sussex And The City is an independent and non-political project. It’s run by a Brighton-based agency, but don’t let that put you off!
