Mid Sussex District

Last updated

Mid Sussex District
Non-metropolitan district
Muster Green, Haywards Heath - geograph.org.uk - 3464357.jpg
Muster Green at Haywards Heath, the district's largest town.
Mid Sussex UK locator map.svg
Mid Sussex shown within West Sussex
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South East England
Non-metropolitan county West Sussex
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Haywards Heath
Incorporated1 April 1974
Government
 • TypeNon-metropolitan district council
 • BodyMid Sussex District Council
 •  MPs Andrew Griffith
John Milne (British politician)
Alison Bennett
Area
 • Total
128.97 sq mi (334.02 km2)
 • Rank111th (of 296)
Population
 (2022)
 • Total
154,930
 • Rank137th (of 296)
 • Density1,200/sq mi (460/km2)
Ethnicity (2021)
[1]
 •  Ethnic groups
List
Religion (2021)
[1]
 •  Religion
List
Time zone UTC0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)

Mid Sussex is a local government district in West Sussex, England. The largest town is Haywards Heath, where the council is based. The district also contains the towns of Burgess Hill and East Grinstead plus surrounding rural areas, including many villages. The district includes part of the South Downs National Park and part of the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of High Weald, including sections of Ashdown Forest. The district contains most headwaters of the River Ouse. Its largest body of water is Ardingly reservoir which is used by watersports clubs. At the 2021 census the district had a population of 152,949.

Contents

The neighbouring districts are Crawley, Horsham, Brighton and Hove, Lewes, Wealden and Tandridge.

History

The name "Mid Sussex" was occasionally used for various parts of central Sussex prior to 1974, including as an alternative name for the Lewes constituency created under the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885, and as a joint water district established in 1907. [2]

The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 as one of seven districts within West Sussex. The new district covered the whole area of three former districts and most of a fourth, which were all abolished at the same time: [3] [4]

The new district was named Mid Sussex, reflecting its position within the historic county. [5] All of the areas which made up Mid Sussex were in East Sussex prior to 1974; as part of the reforms that year they were transferred to West Sussex. The change of county was not without controversy; the government's rationale for the change was that it brought the projected major economic area centred on Crawley and Gatwick Airport under the supervision of one county council. [6]

Governance

Mid Sussex District Council
Mid Sussex District Council logo.svg
Type
Type
Leadership
Rodney Jackson,
Liberal Democrat
since 24 May 2023 [7]
Robert Eggleston,
Liberal Democrat
since 24 May 2023
Kathryn Hall
since 2010 [8]
Structure
Seats48 councillors
Political groups
Administration (24)
  Liberal Democrats (20)
  Independent (4)
Other parties (24)
  Conservative (18)
  Green (4)
  Labour (1)
  Independent (1)
Elections
First-past-the-post
Last election
 4 May 2023
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath - geograph.org.uk - 4356968.jpg
Oaklands, Oaklands Road, Haywards Heath, RH16 1SS
Website
www.midsussex.gov.uk

Mid Sussex District Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by West Sussex County Council. [9] The whole district is also covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government. [10]

In the parts of the district within the South Downs National Park, town planning is the responsibility of the South Downs National Park Authority. The district council appoints one of its councillors to serve on the 27-person National Park Authority. [11]

Political control

The council has been under no overall control since the 2023 election, being run by a minority administration of the Liberal Democrats and some of the independent councillors, led by Liberal Democrat councillor Robert Eggleston. [12]

The first elections to the council were held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until the new arrangements came into effect on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been as follows: [13]

Party in controlYears
No overall control 1974–1979
Conservative 1979–1995
Liberal Democrats 1995–1999
Conservative 1999–2023
No overall control 2023–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 2006 have been:

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Christine Field [14] Conservative 17 May 2006
Patrick Shanahan [14] [15] Conservative 17 May 2006May 2007
Gordon Marples [16] [17] Conservative 16 May 200731 Oct 2009
Garry Wall [17] [18] Conservative 18 Nov 2009May 2019
Jonathan Ash-Edwards [19] [20] Conservative 22 May 2019May 2023
Robert Eggleston [21] [22] Liberal Democrats 24 May 2023

Composition

Following the 2023 election, the composition of the council was: [23]

PartyCouncillors
Liberal Democrats 20
Conservative 18
Independent 5
Green 4
Labour 1
Total48

Four of the five independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group", which forms the council's administration with the Liberal Democrats. [24] [12] The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 27 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years. [25]

The district straddles three parliamentary constituencies; most of the district is in the Mid Sussex constituency, but north-western parts of the district are in the Horsham constituency and southern parts of the district are in the Arundel and South Downs constituency. [10]

Premises

The council is based at Oaklands, in Haywards Heath, which was originally a large Victorian house and had served as the headquarters of the old Cuckfield Urban District Council (which had included Haywards Heath) since 1934. The building has been substantially extended. [26]

Towns and parishes

Church Walk, Burgess Hill Church Walk, Burgess Hill - geograph.org.uk - 5243711.jpg
Church Walk, Burgess Hill
High Street, East Grinstead High Street, East Grinstead - geograph.org.uk - 2290019.jpg
High Street, East Grinstead
Cuckfield Park, stately home at Cuckfield Cuckfield Park - geograph.org.uk - 3667983.jpg
Cuckfield Park, stately home at Cuckfield

The district is divided into 24 civil parishes. The parish councils for Burgess Hill, East Grinstead and Haywards Heath have declared their parishes to be towns, allowing them to take the style "town council". The small parish of Newtimber has a parish meeting rather than a parish council. [27] Hassocks is a post town but has a parish council rather than a town council.

Home ownership

Homes owned by their occupants, with or without a loan, make up more than 85% of Mid Sussex housing. Mid Sussex's residents had the lowest burden of social housing, at 0.5% of housing stock, at the time of the census, a district which is approximately 30 minutes by its fast railway services from the area with the highest such proportion covering London Bridge station, the London Borough of Southwark (having 31.2% social housing) and from a creative and self-declared, progressive authority with 9.8% social housing and 28% of its housing privately rented, Brighton and Hove.

In terms of rented housing Mid Sussex at the 2011 census ranked 216th out of in terms of 327 local authorities in England. The proportion of homes which were rented as investments by non-occupants was higher than several other semi-rural districts of Sussex, with 11.7% of housing stock speculatively acquired in this way or to provide for those unable to obtain mortgage finance and 1.0% was let out to residents on either public or private shared ownership schemes, close to the national average. These figures are those of the 2011 census. [28]

Media

In terms of television, Mid Sussex is served by BBC South East and ITV Meridian with television signals received from the Heathfield TV transmitter. [29] Northern parts of the district around East Grinstead can also receive BBC London and ITV London from the Crystal Palace TV transmitter. [30]

Radio stations for the area are:

Local newspapers are the Mid Sussex Times and The Sussex Newspaper.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sussex</span> County of England

West Sussex is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Crawley, and the county town is the city of Chichester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burgess Hill</span> Town and parish in West Sussex, England

Burgess Hill is a town and civil parish in West Sussex, England, close to the border with East Sussex, on the edge of the South Downs National Park, 39 mi (63 km) south of London, 10 mi (16 km) north of Brighton and Hove, and 29 mi (47 km) northeast of the county town, Chichester. It had an area of 3.7 sq mi (9.6 km2) and a population of 30,635 at the 2011 Census, making it the fourth most populous parish in the county and the most populous in the Mid Sussex District. Other nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the northeast and Lewes, the county town of East Sussex, to the southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arun District</span> Local government district in West Sussex, England

Arun is a local government district in West Sussex, England. Its council is based in Littlehampton. The district's other towns are Arundel and Bognor Regis. The district is named after the River Arun, which runs through the centre of the district. Parts of the district fall within the South Downs National Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haywards Heath</span> Town in West Sussex, England

Haywards Heath is a town in West Sussex, England, 36 miles (58 km) south of London, 14 miles (23 km) north of Brighton, 13 miles (21 km) south of Gatwick Airport and 31 miles (50 km) northeast of the county town, Chichester. Nearby towns include Burgess Hill to the southwest, Horsham to the northwest, Crawley northwest and East Grinstead northeast. With only a relatively small number of jobs available in the immediate vicinity, mostly in the agricultural or service sector, many residents work remotely or commute daily via road or rail to London, Brighton, Crawley or Gatwick Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wealden District</span> District in East Sussex, England

Wealden is a local government district in East Sussex, England. Its council is based in Hailsham, the district's second largest town. The district also includes the towns of Crowborough, Polegate and Uckfield, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The district's name comes from the Weald, the landscape and ancient woodland which occupies much of the centre and north of the area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tandridge District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Tandridge is a local government district in east Surrey, England. Its council is based in Oxted, although the largest settlement is Caterham; other notable settlements include Warlingham, Godstone and Lingfield. In mid-2019, the district had an estimated population of 88,129.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rother District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Rother is a local government district in East Sussex, England. Its council is based in Bexhill-on-Sea. The district is named after the River Rother which flows within its boundaries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewes District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Lewes is a local government district in East Sussex, England. The district is named after the town of Lewes. The largest town is Seaford. The district also includes the towns of Newhaven, Peacehaven and Telscombe and numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. The council meets in Lewes and has its main offices in Newhaven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chichester District</span> Local government district in West Sussex, England

Chichester is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the city of Chichester, which is its largest settlement and where the council is based. The district includes the towns of Midhurst, Petworth and Selsey and surrounding rural areas, including many villages. The district includes part of the South Downs National Park, and Chichester Harbour is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At the 2021 census the district had a population of 124,531.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horsham District</span> Local government district in West Sussex, England

Horsham is a local government district in West Sussex, England. It is named after the town of Horsham, which is its largest settlement and where the council is based. The district also includes the surrounding rural area and contains many villages, the largest of which are Southwater and Billingshurst. The district includes part of the South Downs National Park and part of the designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of High Weald. At the 2021 census the district had a population of 147,487.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuckfield</span> Village and parish in West Sussex, England

Cuckfield is a village and civil parish in the Mid Sussex District of West Sussex, England, on the southern slopes of the Weald. It lies 34 miles (55 km) south of London, 13 miles (21 km) north of Brighton, and 31 miles (50 km) east northeast of the county town of Chichester. Nearby towns include Haywards Heath to the southeast and Burgess Hill to the south. It is surrounded on the other sides by the parish of Ansty and Staplefield formerly known as Cuckfield Rural.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1974 onwards

Mid Sussex is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament from 2024 by Alison Bennett, a Liberal Democrat.

Mid Sussex District Council is elected every four years.

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East Sussex County Council is the upper tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex in England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county; the latter additionally includes Brighton and Hove.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Sussex County Council</span> British administrative authority

West Sussex County Council is the upper tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of West Sussex in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Wilfrid's Church, Haywards Heath</span> Church in West Sussex, England

St Wilfrid's Church is an Anglican church in the town of Haywards Heath in the district of Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. It is Haywards Heath's parish church, and is the mother church to two of the town's four other Anglican churches. Designed in the Decorated Gothic style by George Frederick Bodley, it was built between 1863 and 1865 as the town began to grow rapidly, and stands in a prominent position on the highest ground in the area. English Heritage has listed it at Grade II* for its architectural and historical importance.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Suffolk District</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

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References

  1. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Mid Sussex Local Authority (E07000228)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  2. ↑ "LOCAL GOVERNMENT PROVISIONAL ORDERS (No. 11) BILL". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . House of Commons. 14 May 1907. col. 765–765.
  3. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 31 May 2023
  4. ↑ "Sussex: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1972". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  5. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 31 May 2023
  6. ↑ "LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . House of Lords. 11 September 1972. col. 157–159.
  7. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". Mid Sussex District Council. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Keeling, Ruth (27 October 2010). "Mid Sussex deputy made chief". Local Government Chronicle. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  9. ↑ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
  10. 1 2 "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  11. ↑ "Members". South Downs National Park Authority. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  12. 1 2 Dunn, Karen (25 May 2023). "Lib Dems team up with majority of Independents to form minority administration at Mid Sussex District Council". Sussex World. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  13. ↑ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Mid Sussex" in search box to see specific results.)
  14. 1 2 "Council minutes, 17 May 2006" (PDF). Mid Sussex District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  15. ↑ Dickenson, Andy (4 May 2007). "Mid Sussex leader ousted". The Argus. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  16. ↑ "Council minutes, 16 May 2007" (PDF). Mid Sussex District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  17. 1 2 "Council minutes, 18 November 2009" (PDF). Mid Sussex District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  18. ↑ Dunn, Karen (2 April 2019). "'We've never shied away from difficult decisions' says out-going Mid Sussex council leader". Sussex World. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  19. ↑ "Council minutes, 22 May 2019". Mid Sussex District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  20. ↑ "Full Mid Sussex District Council election results - here's how it all unfolded". SussexWorld. 6 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "Council minutes, 24 May 2023". Mid Sussex District Council. Retrieved 30 December 2024.
  22. ↑ "Joint administration confirmed for Mid Sussex District Council". www.midsussex.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  23. ↑ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
  24. ↑ "Your Councillors by Political Grouping". Mid Sussex District Council. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  25. ↑ "The Mid Sussex (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2022/812, retrieved 29 January 2024
  26. ↑ "Up and down the county". Mid Sussex Times. 12 June 1934. p. 7. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  27. ↑ "Parish, Town and County Councils contact details". Mid Sussex District Council. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  28. ↑ 2011 Census Key Statistics: Tenure, Office for National Statistics.
  29. ↑ "Full Freeview on the Heathfield (East Sussex, England) transmitter". May 2004.
  30. ↑ "Full Freeview on the Crystal Palace (Greater London, England) transmitter". May 2004.

51°1′14.4″N0°8′14.38″W / 51.020667°N 0.1373278°W / 51.020667; -0.1373278

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