Comment: Let’s scrap reorganisation and move on

If you were outside in West Sussex on Monday afternoon, you would have heard an audible sigh of frustration. That sigh came from all the local councillors, local authority staff and residents at the news that local government reorganisation has been paused.

For two years, Government indecision has left our local authorities paralysed, unable to plan whilst being told to consult on new boundaries and prepare to be dissolved. It’s taken focus away from what residents really want – councils and councillors working to improve services and livelihoods in West Sussex. The new pause does nothing to address this and just adds more uncertainty and more contingency planning for a scheme that we are no closer to knowing will ever come to fruition. From the start, this has been chaotic, and it will seemingly continue to be so going forward.

Jess outside County Hall

For residents in Chichester, we now know that District Council elections will be taking place next May. I asked Angela Rayner on Monday if she believed any resident in West Sussex was better off because of the reforms, and she apologised, which tells you all you need to know. The government should chalk it up as a failed idea and scrap the plans entirely.  

Elsewhere in Parliament this week, we had the Report Stage of the Health Bill. This is the Government’s big legislative piece of work, aiming to improve the work of the NHS. The amendments to it stretched across 170 pages and covered a wide range of topics, from maternity care, NHS England, dental care, corridor care, drug prices and Palantir.

I had several areas of concern across the two days of debate. One was the Government’s plans for the abolition of Healthwatch, which my party and I have vehemently opposed. These bodies play a vital role in bringing community perspectives, concerns and insights into the system that may not always be visible through formal reporting alone. Without them, I am concerned that NHS organisations will face reduced local scrutiny and that the voice of the community will be diminished. During the debates, I supported amendments to remove sections of the Bill that implemented these changes.

I also supported a cross-party amendment that would have placed a duty on Integrated Care Boards to meaningfully deliver the health part of Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). I have had hundreds of parents write to me regarding SEND provisions, and many focus rightly on the actions taken by schools and West Sussex County Council. But an overlooked aspect of this issue is that, while WSCC has a responsibility to deliver EHCPs, local NHS bodies do not. It leaves children either without the right amount of health support or without any at all. This cross-party effort looked to change that and ensure those with EHCPs across West Sussex got the care they deserved. I will continue to advocate for families with SEND children across departments until they get the support they truly need.