Elections delayed - what’s really going on?

County Council Elections Delayed in West Sussex – What’s Really Going On?

In May 2025, voters were set to have their say in the county council elections, but last week the Labour government, at the request of Conservative-controlled West Sussex County Council, decided to postpone them for a year.

The reason? A major reorganisation of local government, including the merger of councils into unitary authorities and the creation of a Sussex mayor. 

The Lib Dems have long supported the ideal of devolution - that is to say the idea of power sitting more locally, although whether merging councils into larger unitary councils will deliver this is debatable. We are lucky in Mid Sussex to have a network of town and parish councils. Not everywhere has this. As local government is reorganised, I hope to see a more prominent role for this most local level of government. 

Labour’s proposed timeline as set out last week is extremely ambitious. They claim we’ll be ready for unitary elections by May 2026, but I’m sceptical that such a huge overhaul can happen in just one year without serious disruption to services and representation. It's been clear from talking to Mid Sussex residents on the doorstep over the last few weeks that there is a lot of dismay over elections being delayed. A worry that I share. 

The only people welcoming this delay are the Conservatives, who are running scared after years of mismanagement. From potholes to failing children with special needs, to financial mismanagement, the County Council has let down people in Mid Sussex. Now they’re trying to avoid accountability.

Please be assured that I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues will continue standing up for the residents of Mid Sussex, and we will keep working hard for you, all year round. When elections do come, we will be ready to put our ideas forward and seek your support.

Good news - sixth form college strikes

Good news - after raising the sixth form strikes directly with the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Education, last week the NEU called off two days of planned industrial action whilst they consult with their members on a 4.3% pay offer and a firm promise of pay parity with colleagues in academised sixth forms in future. Fingers crossed that this offer is accepted and there is no more disruption to student’s learning this year.

Good morning Mr President

The three weeks since the US Presidential inauguration has been a depressing return to waking up, switching on the news and learning what crackpot idea has been put forward by the leader of the free world. 

I had forgotten during the calm of the Biden administration the mad rollercoaster of Donald Trump’s first administration. Now that his second term is upon us, it is hard not to be despairing about the daily pronouncements. I also struggle with the gravity that the broadcast media have to give to each breaking story. Are the words that have issued from the President’s mouth something that he has been carefully considering over many months, or has he just hit upon a kernel of a thought when a microphone is thrust in front of him and riffed on that theme? It is impossible to say, but because he is so important for global security, he cannot be ignored. 

Whether it is Trump eyeing up Greenland, attempting a trade war with his key partners and the UK’s allies, or idly suggesting that ethnic cleansing could be a desirable future for the Palestinian people, Donald Trump sickens me. I do not claim any expertise in foreign affairs, but I do know that this man is a menace to Americans, British interests, and global security. 

Someone who is much better versed than me on affairs in the Middle East is Lib Dem MP Layla Moran, and I would recommend that you listen to her interview with the News Agents podcast from last week, if you haven't already.

Getting in touch

My parliamentary email address is: alison.bennett.mp@parliament.uk. If you need my help, please get in touch.

Best wishes,

Alison

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