In Sussex, the 7 May local elections have the potential to shake loose decades of political certainty in the South East, and could serve as a bellwether for how the political winds are blowing across Britain.
Home to more than 1.7 million people, the county stretches all the way from Hampshire in the west to Kent in the east and makes up 137 miles of the UK’s south coast. Major local government changes are already set to redraw the political map in 2028, with East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton all due to be united under a new “Mayoral Combined County Authority”. But before all that, this round of local elections could throw up some surprises – not least because it’s been a while.
