Agenda item - Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

That Cabinet:

1)             Agrees to submit the response to the Government’s devolution consultation for Sussex & Brighton as attached at Appendix 1.

2)             Agrees to submit the response to the statutory invitation letter on local government reorganisation outlining Brighton & Hove’s interim plan as attached at Appendix 2.

3)             Delegates authority to the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Leader, to make formatting, typographical or factual changes to ensure accuracy to the documents referred to at 2.1 and 2.2 prior to final submission.

4)             Notes a further report will come to Cabinet prior to submission of the Council’s final proposal on local government reorganisation in September 2025.

172.1      Cabinet considered a report that set out the proposed responses from Brighton & Hove City Council to the Government consultation on devolution, which would close on 13 April. 2025. The report also sets out the proposed initial submission to Government on local government reorganisation, which was required to be submitted by 21st March 2025.

172.2      Councillors Williams, Taylor, Allen, Robins, Miller, Muten, Rowkins, Hewitt and Sankey contributed to the debate of the report.

172.3      Resolved-

That Cabinet:

1)               Agrees to submit the response to the Government’s devolution consultation for Sussex & Brighton as attached at Appendix 1.

2)               Agrees to submit the response to the statutory invitation letter on local government reorganisation outlining Brighton & Hove’s interim plan as attached at Appendix 2.

3)               Delegates authority to the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Leader, to make formatting, typographical or factual changes to ensure accuracy to the documents referred to at 2.1 and 2.2 prior to final submission.

4)               Notes a further report will come to Cabinet prior to submission of the Council’s final proposal on local government reorganisation in September 2025.