RE-ORGANISATION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT?

David Miliband, Minister for Communities and Local Government, is meeting county and district council members and officers in Lewes today (Friday, March 24) as part of a national tour examining the future of local government in the UK.

He will make his position clear in a Local Government White Paper in the middle of the year.

He told the Express on Wednesday he was coming to listen and had not pre-judged the issues surrounding local government in East Sussex.

He said it was perfectly possible that East Sussex could adopt a framework that differed radically from others.

Flexibility would be the keynote.

But it is known that Mr Millbank is keen to scrap at least one tier of the system of local government that exists at the moment (parish council, district and county).

The most vulnerable local authorities would appear to be the districts (Lewes, Wealden and Rother) which are seen by some to be too big to work at local level and not big enough to make strategic decisions.

A future scenario could involve a regional assembly at the top, an East Sussex unitary authority and then the county's myriad town and parish councils at grass roots level.

Lewes Town Council, for instance, is bidding to become a 'quality parish' which would give it every chance of taking some services from Lewes District Council such as parks, gardens and public toilets.

The advent of a National Park in the area could also have an effect on the district councils which largely control planning in East Sussex.

It is possible a National Park body would take on the broader planning issues with towns and parishes representing the vital local voice.

Mr Miliband continued: 'We are having a mature discussion with local government; this is a real opportunity for debate and we look forward to hearing all views on this issue.'