Comment: Democracy in Action Across West Sussex

The run-up to, and the day of, an election, whether local or general, provide a fascinating insight into the general mood of an area. As always, it was a pleasure speaking to so many constituents across the 10 Chichester divisions during these local elections. Voters were deciding who would make the big decisions at West Sussex County Council for the final year of its existence, before the transition to unitary authorities expected in May 2027. 

On polling day, I met residents who had forgotten the elections were happening, a single parent who didn’t realise they could take their children into the polling station and someone who thought they couldn’t vote because they had lost their polling card. Despite this, turnout in these local elections was far higher than in previous ones. This gives a real insight into how strongly people felt about the issues that West Sussex County Council controls, including roads and highways, adult social care and special educational needs. 

Jess Brown-Fuller and the Chichester Liberal Democrats celebrate success in the local elections.

 In the Chichester constituency, six new Liberal Democrat councillors were elected to represent Bourne, The Witterings, and Chichester North, South, East and West. It was an emotional day at the count as they realised they had won their divisions after pounding the pavements and speaking to as many voters as possible. I am certain Chichester now has six new local champions who are passionate about the areas they represent. The Local Alliance in Selsey narrowly held their seat, with Reform in a close second place. Over in Bersted and Pagham, two new Reform councillors replaced the previous Conservative councillors, with the Liberal Democrats coming second in both. 

The picture across West Sussex was more of a mixed result. Of a possible 70 seats, the Liberal Democrats and Reform both won 23 seats, the Conservatives won 11, the Green Party 7, the Labour Party 5 and the Local Alliance 1. This means no party achieved the 36 seats needed to secure a majority, so the council will be under no overall control, and parties will be engaging in discussions with each other to see who can form an administration going forward. The first meeting of West Sussex County Council will be on Friday 22 May, so a plan will need to be in place before then. 

I would like to pay tribute to all the previous Councillors who either stepped down or lost their seats last week for their years of service to the community, and to thank every candidate, regardless of political affiliation, for having the courage to stand up for what they believe in and put their names forward to serve their communities. Democracy is a wonderful thing, and I hope they all view their experience as a positive one.