James MacCleary MP slams plan to delay local elections
James MacCleary MP has spoken out on plans by the Conservative leadership of East Sussex County Council to postpone this May’s elections. Councillors will meet to discuss the proposal this Thursday with the plan facing widespread criticism.
The government is pressing forward with local government reorganisation that could see all of East Sussex’s District and Borough councils and the County Council replaced with a single, new unitary authority. Councils have been given the option to apply to have their elections postponed pending the reorganisation.
There have been repeated proposals to turn East Sussex into a unitary authority but all previous attempts have been rejected by the Conservatives. After a series of by-election defeats, and councillors leaving the Conservatives, the Conservatives lost their majority on the County Council last year but clung on to control through having the Chair’s casting vote on the council.
James MacCleary, MP for Lewes constituency, said: “Let’s call this what it is - a desperate attempt by the Conservatives to cling onto power by suspending local democracy.
“Postponing this May’s elections is fundamentally wrong. The Labour government is rushing these reforms and Conservatives are using it as an excuse to avoid the judgement of local electors on their appalling record running our county.
“The Conservatives no longer have an overall majority on the County Council so by suspending our election, Labour ministers would be giving this lame duck administration power over the future of local government in East Sussex.
“I am writing to the minister to urge him to go ahead with elections in May as planned and give the residents of our county the right to express their views on over twenty years of Conservative mismanagement of East Sussex County Council and who should be leading on our behalf for local government reorganisation discussions.”
The government’s white paper is available here: English Devolution White Paper - GOV.UK