The government said on Thursday 29 October 2026 that it is minded to proceed with the East Sussex two-unitary plan, including the boundary changes Brighton and Hove City Council asked for, except for Falmer parish. The council says that means the city merging with East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe.
It is not a final decision. There will be at least three weeks for further representations first, and the government’s page now says new councils will be established for 2029, with shadow council elections in May 2028.
Is Peacehaven definitely joining Brighton and Hove?
No, not yet. “Minded to proceed” is the government’s provisional position, not its final decision. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government page says all options and proposals remain under consideration in these areas, that there will be a period of three weeks minimum for further representations before final decisions are taken, and that every area will have an outcome by early next year.
Brighton and Hove City Council’s own release says the 21 days are for local authorities to make further representations, and that the government will set out how it wants the proposals to move forward. The release also says an update on the decision is expected before Christmas.
When would Peacehaven, Telscombe and East Saltdean join?
The page gives a timetable for the five areas it names. Local elections go ahead in May 2027 on existing council boundaries. New councils will be established for 2029, with elections to shadow councils in May 2028.
That is later than the plan we reported in July, when Vesting Day was 1 April 2028 and a shadow council was due to be elected in May 2027. ImJustBrighton note: the new dates are the ones on the government’s page. Brighton and Hove City Council’s release does not mention them.
What the government announced on 29 October
The announcement came from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. It names five areas where the government says it is minded to proceed: East Sussex and Brighton and Hove (two unitary councils), Gloucestershire (one), Oxfordshire (three, with boundary changes), Warwickshire (two) and Worcestershire (two). Reorganisation in Surrey is described as unaffected, with new councils there going live in April 2027.
The East Sussex plan. The two-unitary proposal was submitted by East Sussex County Council, Eastbourne Borough Council, Hastings Borough Council, Lewes District Council and Rother District Council. The government says it is minded to go ahead with it, including the boundary changes requested by Brighton and Hove City Council, except for Falmer parish.
The wider picture. Fifteen areas remain in the wider programme, and the page lists West Sussex, along with Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, as an area still awaiting a decision. A £63 million capacity fund will pay £450,000 per previously announced new unitary authority towards the cost of reorganising, with payments due to start in the coming weeks.
City status. The page says the government has heard concerns from places about retaining their city status, has committed to making it a priority to protect them, and will consider all available options, including new legislation if necessary. It does not name Brighton and Hove in that sentence.
Who would move: Peacehaven, Telscombe and East Saltdean on the map
East Sussex County Council said in July that about 26,000 residents would move into an expanded Brighton and Hove. The map below was issued by Brighton and Hove City Council when the boundary plan was first confirmed. It shows the city in pink and East Saltdean, Telscombe Cliffs and Peacehaven in purple, with Falmer labelled outside the boundary, matching the government’s wording on 29 October.
How we got here: from the March consultation to 29 October
25 March 2026. The government said it would consult on moving Peacehaven, Telscombe, East Saltdean and Falmer parish into Brighton and Hove, according to the One East Sussex website. Lewes District Council gives the consultation dates as 12 May to 15 June.
16 July. The government confirmed its decision, with Brighton and Hove expanding from April 2028 and Falmer staying in East Sussex. Our boundary expansion report covers the plan in full.
7 September. The government paused the programme for a review, and East Sussex and Peacehaven Town Council said the move was on hold.
6 and 12 October. Lewes District Council took protective legal action, and East Sussex County Council started a judicial review on a protective basis of the plan, as we reported.
29 October. The government said it is minded to proceed, with a minimum of three weeks for further representations.
What the East Sussex councils said in July
The five East Sussex councils behind the One East Sussex plan, including East Sussex County Council and Lewes District Council, were critical when the decision was first announced on 16 July. We have not yet seen their response to the 29 October announcement, so these are their earlier words.
Councillor Andy Woolley, leader of East Sussex County Council, said in a statement on 16 July: “We will be asking Ministers to urgently reconsider.” He called it “bitterly disappointing” that the plan severs some communities, and said residents of East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe had opposed the move.
The joint One East Sussex statement from the five council leaders called the decision “deeply disappointing” and asked the Secretary of State to publish the full justification and evidence base, including the outcomes of both government consultations.
What Bella Sankey said
In response to the announcement, Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said:
“We welcome that government has confirmed it is minded to proceed with the decision it made earlier this year for Brighton & Hove to merge with East Saltdean, Peacehaven and Telscombe. Bringing our communities together reflects how people live and it will give residents living to the East of our current boundary greater say over the services they already use.”
“We further welcome government’s cast-iron commitment to preserving our city status. Brighton & Hove is a globally recognised city with a proud history and an exciting future.”
“We want to make sure that this change is delivered as smoothly as possible. So we will now be writing to government to make the case that Brighton & Hove City Council should be considered a continuing local authority rather than setting up a brand new council with the additional complexity that would come with that. We hope to work constructively with partners in East Sussex to deliver these changes for the benefit of all.”
Bella Sankey, Leader of Brighton & Hove City Council
ImJustBrighton note: the quote on city status is the council’s own account. The government’s page makes a general commitment on city status without naming Brighton and Hove. The request to be treated as a continuing authority is something the council says it will now put to government, and no decision on it has been announced.
What happens next
Representations. At least three weeks are set aside for further representations before the government takes final decisions. The council’s release says an update on the decision is expected before Christmas, while the government’s page says every area will have an outcome by early next year.
Legal challenge. We have not yet seen a response from East Sussex County Council or Lewes District Council to the 29 October announcement, or any change to the legal steps they took in October.
Until then. Local elections in the five areas go ahead in May 2027 on the existing council boundaries, according to the government. Our local government reorganisation tag collects our reports on the plan.
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