Further delay to elections would be ‘an insult to democracy’, says Lib Dem Ben Dempsey.

Further delay to County elections would be ‘an insult to democracy’, says Lib Dem Ben Dempsey.

Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of Sussex Ben Dempsey has written to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, to demand that elections in Sussex go ahead in 2026 - amid rumours the government is considering delaying County Council elections again.

Ben Dempsey, Lib Dem candidate for Mayor of Sussex, said: ‘If the government genuinely cares about our democracy, council elections across Sussex must go ahead in 2026.

‘These councillors were elected during the COVID pandemic when Boris Johnson was in Number 10. They have overstayed their democratic mandate, and letting them stay in power for a potential seven year term would be an insult to democracy.

‘Since the elections were delayed, Liberal Democrats have been winning in by-elections across Sussex. It is now high time the whole of East and West Sussex have their say.

‘We must not kick off a new chapter of local government by denying people their voice about who leads them at this critical time.

‘The government must let council elections go ahead this May. If elections aren’t held, voters will assume the Labour government and Conservative councillors are running scared of the electorate.’

The full letter is copied below.

Dear Secretary of State,

As the Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of Sussex, I have noted with great concern reports that your government is planning to delay County Council elections in East and West Sussex for a further year. I am writing to urge you to allow council elections to proceed in May 2026.

These elections have already been delayed once, in 2025, meaning current County Councillors are now in the fifth year of their terms, a year beyond their mandate.

When these councillors were elected the country was still facing Covid lockdowns, and Boris Johnson was still Prime Minister. The political landscape has completely changed since then, and the current councillors no longer have democratic legitimacy.

This is particularly significant because, as you know, in 2026 we are electing the first Mayor of Sussex and creating a combined mayoral authority across the county. With the new unitary authorities not due to take full control of decisions from county councils until 2028, delaying elections would likely mean councillors serving a seven year term.

This is the biggest change to local government in a generation. It would be quite simply unacceptable for this process to be led by councillors who have not faced the electorate since 2021 and no longer have a mandate from the people.

I am supportive of your government’s decision to create a Mayor of Sussex, and think it can deliver benefits for residents here.

If council elections are delayed again, though, it would risk undermining people’s faith in local government reorganisation before it has even begun. The government would be accused of colluding with the Conservatives and running scared of the electorate, particularly given recent local gains made across Sussex by Lib Dems and Reform.

As someone who wants to see local government in Sussex succeed, I urge you to give voters their say, and allow council elections to go ahead in Sussex in May 2026.

Yours Sincerely,

Ben Dempsey, Liberal Democrat candidate for Mayor of Sussex