Published: 24 November 2025
From: Democracy
The government has announced the start of a Sussex-wide consultation on Local Government Reorganisation.
The consultation will seek views on three proposals that include Crawley:
1. Two unitary councils for West Sussex
Proposed by all seven district and borough councils in West Sussex, including Crawley Borough Council, as the preferred option. This would create two unitary authorities, one covering Crawley, Horsham, and Mid Sussex.
2. Single West Sussex unitary
Proposed by West Sussex County Council, this option would see one unitary authority covering the entire county.
3. Sussex-wide solution
Proposed by Brighton and Hove City Council, this would create five unitary councils across Sussex, including one covering Crawley, Horsham, and Chichester.
The government has confirmed that all three proposals will be included in the consultation. It has clarified that responses will form part of its assessment against the criteria for reorganisation, representing a change from the previous process.
Details of the consultation, including how to respond, are online at shapingwestsussex.org. West Sussex councils will collectively raise awareness among stakeholders and promote the consultation to the public, ensuring access to paper copies for those who need them.
Crawley Borough Council will take part in the consultation to express our own views on the proposals and we are urging residents and stakeholders to also have their say.
When we engaged residents and stakeholders in the summer, you told us that by far, your preference was for a new council covering Crawley, Horsham and Mid-Sussex. We listened, we agreed, and all district and borough councils made the two-unitary proposal to Government.
Local Government must remain local and connected to those people it serves. West Sussex is physically split by the South Downs. The north of the county is different to the coastal areas, economically, in terms of travel to work and infrastructure, and in terms of the needs of our towns and populations. It makes sense to have councils that can properly represent and are focused on the needs of what are often very different places and communities.
Our preferred option, of two unitary authorities, is big enough at over 470,000 people. The distances between our various towns are manageable. A county-wide unitary would be unprecedented in scale with only Birmingham or Leeds being of a similar scale. Even on a clear day, Chichester can be 75 minutes drive away from Crawley – the same as Bracknell, Southend or Canterbury.
The West Sussex Business Case demonstrates that the Crawley, Horsham and Mid-Sussex option is both viable and could save money. Further, by starting afresh with a brand new council we can look to redesign services in a more innovative way. On balance therefore, of the viable options developed by West Sussex councils, I am convinced this one is the better of the two for Crawley.
Councillor Michael Jones
Leader of Crawley Borough Council
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