EAST SUSSEX COUNTY COUNCIL

The County Council meets at East Sussex County Hall, the authority's headquarters; though there are a number of other administrative buildings located throughout the county.

In our view, the roster reads like a retirement home for former District councillors. With some fresh faces, Praise the Lord.

Councillor Matthew Beaver - Hastings - Maze Hill and West St Leonards

Conservative - Chair of Place Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Colin Belsey - Eastbourne - Ratton - Conservative - Chair of HOSC

Councillor Nick Bennett - Arlington, East Hoathly and Hellingly

Conservative - Deputy Leader and Lead Member for Resources and Climate Change

Councillor Bob Bowdler - Wealden East - Conservative - Lead Member for Children and Families

Councillor Charles Clark - Bexhill East - Independent

Councillor Chris Collier - Peacehaven - Labour - Leader of the Labour Group

Councillor Anne Cross - Heathfield and Mayfield - Green Party

Councillor Godfrey Daniel - Hastings - Braybrooke and Castle - Labour

Councillor Johnny Denis - Ringmer and Lewes Bridge - Green Party - Leader of the Green Party Group

Councillor Penny di Cara - Eastbourne - Sovereign - Conservative - Lead Member for Economy

Councillor Chris Dowling - Uckfield South with Framfield - Conservative

Councillor Claire Dowling - Uckfield North - Conservative

Lead Member for Transport and Environment

Councillor Kathryn Field - Battle and Crowhurst

Liberal Democrats - Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group

Councillor Aidan Fisher - Hastings - Ashdown and Conquest - Reform UK

Councillor Gerard Fox - Hailsham New Town - Conservative

Councillor Roy Galley - Maresfield and Buxted - Conservative - Chairman of the County Council

Councillor Nuala Geary

Bexhill West - Conservative

Councillor Keith Glazier OBE - Rye and Eastern Rother - Conservative

Leader of the Council and Leader of the Conservative Group

Councillor Alan Hay - Hastings - Baird and Ore - Conservative

Councillor Julia Hilton - Hastings - Old Hastings and Tressell - Green Party

Councillor Ian Hollidge - Bexhill South - Conservative

Councillor Stephen Holt - Eastbourne - Devonshire - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Johanna Howell - Crowborough North and Jarvis Brook

Conservative - Chair of People Scrutiny Committee

Councillor Eleanor Kirby-Green - Rother North West - Conservative

Councillor Carolyn Lambert - Seaford South - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Tom Liddiard - Pevensey and Stone Cross - Conservative

Councillor Philip Lunn - Crowborough South and St Johns - Conservative

Councillor James MacCleary - Newhaven and Bishopstone - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Wendy Maples - Lewes - Green Party

Councillor Sorrell Marlow-Eastwood - Hastings - St Helens and Silverhill - Conservative

Councillor Carl Maynard - Brede Valley and Marsham

Conservative - Lead Member for Adult Social Care and Health

Councillor Matthew Milligan - Chailey - Conservative

Councillor Steve Murphy - Hailsham Market - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Sarah Osborne - Ouse Valley West and Downs - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Paul Redstone - Northern Rother - Conservative

Councillor Christine Robinson - Telscombe - Labour

Deputy Leader of the Labour Group

Councillor Pat Rodohan - Eastbourne - Upperton - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Phil Scott - Hastings - Hollington and Wishing Tree - Labour

Councillor Daniel Shing - Polegate and Watermill - Independent Democrats

Councillor Stephen Shing - Willingdon and South Downs - Independent Democrats

Leader of the Independent Democrats Group

Councillor Alan Shuttleworth - Eastbourne - Langney - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Bob Standley - Wealden North East - Conservative (former WDC Leader, no local heritage lists)

Lead Member for Education and Inclusion, Special Educational Needs and Disability

Councillor Colin Swansborough - Eastbourne - Hampden Park

Liberal Democrats - Chair of Audit Committee

Councillor Georgia Taylor - Forest Row and Groombridge - Green Party

Deputy Leader of the Green Party Group

Councillor David Tutt - Eastbourne - St Anthony's

Liberal Democrats - Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group

Councillor John Ungar - Eastbourne - Old Town - Liberal Democrats

Councillor Trevor Webb - Hastings - Central St Leonards and Gensing - Labour

Councillor Brett Wright - Eastbourne - Meads - Liberal Democrats

East Sussex has five District and Borough Councils, each with a border on the coast. From west to east they are:

There is also East Sussex County Council as the provider of services to the 5 East Sussex districts. These councils all work together. Do not make the mistake of thinking that they are fully independent autonomous regions. That may have been so in the past, but with budget cuts things change and the trend is to merge.

In our opinion, all local councils should be replaced by Central Government or AI to save even more money. AI is unlikely to be bribed or discriminate. The local elected members might then be answerable to Secretary of State for failures, favours and other impropriety in their region in the interests of creating a more efficient system - where at the moment the system is open to abuse. For example, ESCC provides money to Sussex police from council taxes (rates), meaning there is a conflict of interest in the R v Sussex Justices ex-parte McCarthy 1924 KB, sense. Sussex police might then not investigate corruption allegations, due to the conflict of interests. They are biased before they begin.

There should be a unified database of interests linked to planning permissions with both officers and members with known interests automatically barring them from any decision making forum. In the digital age this is a fairly simple way to detect crime using Cyber or Anti-Terrorist, Anti-Fraud or Money Laundering technology. This technology should also be applied to Parish Councils.

Planning officers and lawyers that are repeated many times over in different regions could be replaced with a central system that takes in planning applications and compares the need to a national database, rather than allowing each locality to spoil what the country actually needs with local agendas that do not truly reflect national policies.

As near neighbours and with councils now sharing facilities and working together, these areas of Sussex are included in our remit and an area where climate change and affordable housing are issues that need urgent attention. Where the coastline is a feature in every Council, Blue Growth is a food security issue, especially where this side of of our local economy is under-exploited.