Jess Brown-Fuller MP demands urgent assurances that West Sussex County Council elections will not be scrapped in 2026

Jess Brown-Fuller, MP for Chichester, has demanded that the Government and West Sussex County Council (WSCC) urgently confirm that elections will take place in 2026, following a request from WSCC to postpone the elections and mounting rumours that government ministers are preparing to cancel them for a second time. 

At a WSCC Cabinet Meeting on the 23^rd September, it was decided that a request to postpone the elections would be made in its Local Government Reorganisation submission letter.  

Rumours also emerged last weekend suggesting that the Labour Government is considering cancelling the elections once again following “private pleas from Conservative leaders of seven county councils”. They were further fuelled at Prime Minister’s Questions when Keir Starmer refused to provide an exact timetable for the elections. 

Elections for councils were initially delayed by a year following last year’s announcement of local government reorganisation but had been due to take place after the conclusion of that process in May 2026. Any further delay would mean that councillors elected in 2021 would end up serving two years beyond their original democratic mandate.  

Jess said: 

“It would be completely disgraceful if the rumours of the elections being cancelled once again turn out to be true. These councillors have already served longer than their planned term and democracy is now being continually denied to the voters of West Sussex.” 

“What is even worse is the fact that the Conservative-led WSCC are themselves pushing for these measures, no doubt concerned they will lose their seats.” 

“The Government must confirm as soon as possible that these elections will go ahead and stop giving non-committal answers. Leadership of WSCC should be focusing on improving public services for the residents of West Sussex and not how to avoid the ballot box.”