Leader of the Opposition. East Sussex County Council. May 2026

Leader of the Opposition. East Sussex County Council. May 2026

The County Council provides many services and has many responsibilities to staff and residents.

It is logical to start with how these are to be paid for. We all know, those of us who are returning as well as those who are new, that the County’s financial situation is not good. 

The County’s finances have been assessed by CIPFA and Grant Thornton as being well managed; years of underfunding from central government have contributed to the large debt. It is not my place to lecture about the niceties of Local Government finance, suffice it to say that running a Local Authority is not the same as running a business in the private sector. 

County Council debt is in the region of £201m plus the loan of £70m to pay for the £55m budget deficit. This is a strain, just the loan will cost £6.6m a year if fully drawn down with no plan for repayment at the last budget. We should look at the asset portfolio in order to liquidate some of it. This is not a quick fix but it can be used to repay debt to reduce interest charges. It will not happen if it keeps getting put off. For example, we still have St. Anne’s school, why?   It was closed in 2005 and is becoming increasingly derelict and losing value. We need a repayment plan for the County Council’s which does not harm residents.  

For years Governments have paid lip service to Adult Social Care being the gatekeeper for the NHS. If we get ASC right acute admissions reduce; the funding must reflect this. Demographically we have an ageing population but there is still a lot of work to be done with government to make it understand this and the cost which is incurred as a result. We must provide an environment of care where older people can stay safely in their communities and their homes. Familiarity and friends and family help to stave off loneliness and we know that social isolation increases physical and mental health problems at a cost to all of us.  

The county’s children are its future. Some of you will have heard me say this before, many times: they only get one go at school and developing their potential. We owe it to them to get it right. Although we don’t have the same relationships with schools and education as we did when I began young people are still in our county and our schools and we have influence. Our staff have built excellent relationships with our schools whatever their governance. COVID took a heavy toll on young people’s mental health; Liberal Democrats believe that every child should have access to a mental health professional, not just when needs become acute and they have to embark on a long wait for CAHMS

Children with SEND are becoming increasingly complex and expensive to care for and their needs must be at the centre of policy making. The Government’s White Paper says good things about its vision for SEND going forward and we must ensure that promised funding follows evidenced need. 

We are a rural county and the cost of Home to School Transport is an escalating cost with the largest part going to children with Special Education Needs & Disabilities. While we absolutely recognise the need to support these young people the government could help all Local Authorities by allowing us to ask for contributions from parents and carers if appropriate. We must lobby for this

Parents and carers are not only birth families. The last time I checked we had 688 Children We Care For in East Sussex. We can rightly be proud of the way we look after these vulnerable children. I say this not only because I chaired the Corporate Parenting Panel for the last 5 years but because as a result of that I have seen the way children flourish both in foster care and residential care. The Children in Care Council which is made up of young people in care starts a new 3 year term this year. I’ve not met the new council yet but previous ones were extremely impressive and they do an amazing job with that cohort of children and young people. We must remember that we are all, every one of us, the Corporate Parent of these young people. They are our children.

We must ensure that all residents are safe in their homes and out and about; pedestrians or drivers. We must be more flexible and accommodating when communities want 20mph limits because we know that lower speeds enhance community safety, community cohesion and enhance air quality thus reducing hospital admissions due to respiratory problems and of course reduce the cost to the tax payer

Whether we walk or drive I defy any one of you to say that the roads are in a good condition, with a few exceptions. In country lanes potholes are a danger not just to drivers but to pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders. I speak as someone who has wrecked 2 wheels in East Sussex potholes. I am not alone. While recognising that there is a highway maintenance contract in place with very strict criteria an urgent meeting is necessary between all parties to establish ways of ensuring better performance within the confines of the contract. Potholes which fail within 12 months are repaired at the contractor’s expense so it seems bizarre in the extreme that the extra cost of doing this doesn’t produce a better job in the first place. We must work out how to do rectify this situation. 

We cannot fail to be aware of the Climate Emergency. We will of course support continuing initiatives to reach the net zero target, currently by 2050. This is a long timescale but the Districts and Boroughs which in the main have 2030 as a target are helping in this endeavour. The contract for Electric Vehicle Charging Points was almost ready for signing before the election; it is essential to progress this swiftly

Challenges remain and when the current ones are dealt with more will take their place.  Nobody said that local government was easy but done properly it will enhance the lives of all of us