Eastbourne Borough Council is the local authority for Eastbourne in East Sussex, England. Eastbourne has had an elected council since 1859, which has been reformed on several occasions. Since 1974, Eastbourne has been a non-metropolitan district with borough status.
Eastbourne Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | Non-metropolitan district |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Margaret Bannister, Liberal Democrat since 21 May 2025 |
Leader | Stephen Holt, Liberal Democrat since 24 May 2023 |
Chief Executive | Robert Cottrill since 28 September 2009 |
| Structure | |
Political groups |
|
| Elections | |
Voting system | First past the post |
Last election | 4 May 2023 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
| Town Hall, Grove Road, Eastbourne, BN21 4UG | |
| Website | |
| www | |
The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2007. It meets at Eastbourne Town Hall and has its main offices at 1 Grove Road.
History
Eastbourne's first elected local authority was a local board, established in 1859 when the ancient parish of Eastbourne was made a local government district. Prior to that the parish had been governed by its vestry, in the same way as most rural areas.
Eastbourne become a municipal borough in 1883, governed by a body formally called the "mayor, aldermen and burgesses of the borough of Eastbourne", but generally known as the corporation or town council. The borough covered a slightly larger area than the previous local government district, also taking in an area known as Norway from the neighbouring parish of Willingdon. In 1911 Eastbourne was elevated to be a county borough, making it independent from East Sussex County Council. The borough was enlarged at the same time to take in the Hampden Park area from Willingdon.
The Eastbourne Corporation Act 1926 allowed the council to purchase the Eastbourne Downland Estate on the west side of the borough, including Beachy Head.
Eastbourne became a non-metropolitan district on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, with East Sussex County Council once more providing county-level services to the town. Eastbourne kept its borough status, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Eastbourne's series of mayors dating back to 1883.
Since 2016 the council has shared a chief executive and other staff with nearby Lewes District Council.
Governance
Eastbourne Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by East Sussex County Council. There are no civil parishes in the borough, which is an unparished area.
Parts of the borough lie within the South Downs National Park. In those areas, town planning is the responsibility of the South Downs National Park Authority.
Political control
The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since 2007.
Political control of the council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal | 1974–1976 | |
| Conservative | 1976–1984 | |
| No overall control | 1984–1986 | |
| Alliance | 1986–1988 | |
| Conservative | 1988–1990 | |
| No overall control | 1990–1991 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1991–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2000 | |
| Conservative | 2000–2002 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2002–2004 | |
| Conservative | 2004–2007 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 2007–present | |
Leadership
The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Eastbourne. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1988 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dennis Cullen | Conservative | May 1988 | May 1991 | |
| Alan Shuttleworth | Liberal Democrats | May 1991 | 1993 | |
| David Tutt | Liberal Democrats | 1993 | May 1996 | |
| Brian Whitby | Liberal Democrats | May 1996 | May 1997 | |
| John Ungar | Liberal Democrats | May 1997 | 1998 | |
| Bert Leggett | Liberal Democrats | 20 May 1998 | May 2000 | |
| Graham Marsden | Conservative | May 2000 | May 2002 | |
| Beryl Healy | Liberal Democrats | 15 May 2002 | Jun 2004 | |
| Graham Marsden | Conservative | 23 Jun 2004 | 18 May 2005 | |
| Ian Lucas | Conservative | 18 May 2005 | May 2007 | |
| David Tutt | Liberal Democrats | 16 May 2007 | May 2023 | |
| Stephen Holt | Liberal Democrats | 24 May 2023 | ||
Composition
Following the 2023 election, and subsequent by-elections up to May 2025, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrats | 19 | |
| Conservative | 8 | |
| Total | 27 | |
The next election is due in 2027.
Premises
The council meets at the Town Hall on Grove Road. The building was designed by William Tadman Foulkes, and built between 1884 and 1886 under supervision of Henry Currey, the Duke of Devonshire's architect.
The council has its main offices nearby at 1 Grove Road, a large building which also includes a library and theatre. That building was completed in 1964 on a site which had been occupied by the previous library and fire station, which were both destroyed in 1943 during the Second World War.
Elections
Since the last boundary changes in 2019 the council has comprised 27 councillors representing 9 wards, with each ward electing three councillors. Elections are held every four years.
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