Polls close in county council race

Reporting and editing by Rebecca Maer, Eastbourne Reporter

Analysis, data and graphics by Paul Bromley, Eastbourne Reporter

Voters in Eastbourne have made their decision on their political representation at county level.

Polls closed at 10pm for the East Sussex County Council (ESCC) elections. More than 75,000 people in Eastbourne were eligible to vote for a county councillor in nine voting areas.

Counting takes place on Friday with the results expected from lunchtime onwards. We will be at the count in Eastbourne town centre.

We will have an interactive map which will be updated as results come in and we will publish tables with the full results.

So stay tuned to our public interest journalism website throughout the day.

Who stood for election?

A record number of candidates put themselves forward in Eastbourne.

A total of 50 people contested the nine voting areas, up from the 44 candidates at the last set of East Sussex County Council (ESCC) elections in 2021.

All the main parties – Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green and Reform UK – fielded a full slate of candidates. In addition, there were two Independents and one each from UKIP, Trade Union and Socialist Coalition, and Heritage Party.

What do county councillors do?

ESCC is responsible for major services such as education, social services, adult social care, children's services and highways while Eastbourne Borough Council (EBC) looks after local planning, housing, leisure and refuse.

What happened in Eastbourne last time?

The Liberal Democrats won six and the Conservatives three of the nine county council places in Eastbourne when polling last took place in May 2021.

The Lib Dems and Conservatives finished first or second in every one of the nine voting areas. They took between them four out of every five votes cast in Eastbourne.

The Lib Dems won Devonshire, Hampden Park, Langney, Old Town, St Anthony’s and Upperton. The Conservatives won Meads, Ratton and Sovereign.

Political observers will be watching to see if other parties such as Reform UK and Green make inroads into the Lib Dem/Conservative vote and win seats.

What has happened in Eastbourne since the last elections?

A by-election was held in Meads in August 2023 following the death of Conservative councillor Barry Taylor.

Brett Wright won the by-election for the Liberal Democrats, beating the Conservatives into second place in what had traditionally been a solid Tory area.

The political shockwaves extended beyond the Meads area; it meant the Conservatives lost overall control of ESCC and have run the council as a minority administration since then.

Brett Wright announced earlier this year he had defected from the Lib Dems to the Greens, becoming the first Green county councillor in Eastbourne. Can he retain the seat as a Green?

Will the new ESCC councillors serve for four years?

No. Although the Government has said it has concerns about the plans for new unitary councils in Sussex and wants changes, ministers say elections to the new authorities will go ahead as planned in May 2027.

There will then be a “shadow” year before all the existing county, borough and district councils including ESCC and EBC are dissolved in April 2028. This means those elected in this set of elections will serve a maximum of two years.

:: Rebecca Maer is a qualified journalist with 30 years’ experience in the UK and overseas as a news reporter and business editor at organisations including the Press Association and The Observer. Rebecca started the Eastbourne Reporter in 2022 to revive genuine journalism in the town. She works on a mostly voluntary basis due to lack of funding

:: Paul Bromley is a qualified journalist and broadcaster who worked for 40 years for regional newspapers, the Press Association and Sky News. He specialised in reporting politics and elections. Paul now works in community rail. He is a volunteer writer with Eastbourne Reporter