Information – Adur & Worthing Councils

Released: Friday, 26 September 2025

We have submitted suggestions to the federal government to merge with Arun and Chichester as a part of native authorities reorganisation (LGR) plans.

Two full council conferences had been held this week for all councillors in Adur and Worthing to debate the enterprise case for LGR, which was developed collaboratively by all native authorities in West Sussex.

The shared enterprise case presents an agreed proof base created for all councils, with councillors additionally contemplating further proof on the advantages of a two-unitary mannequin. Councillors and council officers have this week been contemplating the complete vary of research offered within the enterprise case to find out their very own choice for submission to the federal government.

A last resolution on the popular two-unitary possibility was made by our Joint Strategic Committee on Wednesday (twenty fourth September 2025) after the 2 full council conferences.

We consider {that a} two-unitary mannequin that mixes the present Adur, Arun, Chichester and Worthing footprints will probably be massive sufficient to be environment friendly, and sufficiently small for the brand new council to genuinely be linked to the communities it is going to serve.

In choices taken throughout the county this week, all West Sussex district and borough councils have opted for a similar mannequin, with Chichester and Arun in settlement with a coastal/downs authority, and Crawley, Mid Sussex and Horsham recommending a central Sussex authority.

Additional advantages of a two-unitary mannequin over a single unitary embrace enhanced native democracy with a greater ratio of councillors to residents and larger illustration for the West Sussex inhabitants on the new mayoral mixed county authority. Localised and built-in public companies in essential areas like social care, housing and prevention would even be delivered, and the councils can be higher aligned to the particular strengths of the county’s two distinct financial zones.

The suggestions had been additionally knowledgeable by public suggestions from the Shaping West Sussex survey, which demonstrated robust help in favour of two unitaries that preserve Adur and Worthing collectively, in addition to proof from our personal public engagement train.

In July, councils throughout West Sussex launched the Shaping West Sussex survey to interact residents, stakeholders, members and employees on three unitary mannequin choices that had been recognized as viable. Over 9,300 folks accomplished the survey, with 62% preferring a two-unitary possibility.

We undertook our personal engagement train in May 2025 referred to as Thriving Together. Using digital engagement, neighbourhood conversations and deliberative occasions, Thriving Together created welcoming and inventive methods for folks to share concepts on devolution and LGR in addition to the way forward for the locations they dwell.

The course of produced a People’s Vision with seven goals and 21 actions masking priorities that embrace protecting choices native, investing in group and tradition, creating higher locations, and specializing in younger folks.

At the council conferences, councillors additionally unanimously agreed to the formation of a brand new cross-party working group to discover how native democracy may be finest delivered in a brand new unitary authority.

Now all enterprise circumstances have been submitted, the federal government will undertake its personal session on LGR in Sussex. For West Sussex, that is anticipated to run from November 2025 to January 2026. A ministerial resolution on the longer term form of native authorities in West Sussex is anticipated in Spring 2026 and can take impact from April 2028.

Adur District Council chief, Cllr Jeremy Gardner, mentioned:

“We are grateful to everyone who took part in the public engagement exercises. Our Thriving Together work showed the importance of ensuring that our communities and partners have a real say in shaping the future of the places we live, work or study.”

Worthing Borough Council chief, Cllr Sophie Cox, mentioned:

“We believe that a two-unitary model is best placed to serve the needs of Worthing residents as well as present new economic opportunities and better ways of working. While councils may have different views on their preferred options, we are committed to continued collaboration to get the best outcome for residents and wider stakeholders and to work together to implement whatever the government’s chosen solution is.”

The priorities developed as a part of our Thriving Together engagement will probably be explored at an in-person workshop in October. To discover out extra, see:

To learn the enterprise case in full please see:

(PR25-072)

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