East Sussex

Ceremonial County in England

Region: South East

§ This page provides an overview of an England's ceremonial county. Our website has 48 such county pages.

Overview ⁞ East Sussex lies along the English Channel and features a mix of coastal resorts, historic towns, and rural landscapes. Key towns include Brighton and Hove (a separate unitary authority), Eastbourne, Hastings, and Lewes, the latter being the county town. The South Downs and parts of the High Weald provide natural beauty, while the area also has a rich Norman and Victorian heritage. The ceremonial county includes both East Sussex County Council and Brighton and Hove City Council.

Is East Sussex a historic county? Yes—East Sussex is a historic county (originally part of the historic Sussex). Administratively, the ceremonial county comprises East Sussex County Council with its five districts plus the unitary authority of Brighton and Hove.

East Sussex has 6 Local Authority Districts. The chart below shows how this compares with other counties in England.

Number of local authority districts in East Sussex and other counties — Number of local authority districts in East Sussex, compared with other counties

This county page, East Sussex, is a sub-page this region page: South East. It zooms in to local authorities, administrative districts, and parliamentary constituencies in this county. We have this list page for easy browsing of all historic counties, ceremonial counties, and administrative counties: List of all counties in the UK.

Local Authorities in East Sussex

East Sussex County Council (County Council) 🔗 eastsussex.gov.uk
Eastbourne Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk
Hastings Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 hastings.gov.uk
Lewes District Council (District Council) 🔗 lewes-eastbourne.gov.uk
Rother District Council (District Council) 🔗 rother.gov.uk
Wealden District Council (District Council) 🔗 wealden.gov.uk
Brighton and Hove City Council (Unitary Authority) 🔗 brighton-hove.gov.uk

East Sussex, in England’s South East region, has a two-tier system of local government with East Sussex County Council responsible for county-wide services such as education, transport, and social care, alongside five district and borough councils that manage local matters including planning, housing, and waste collection. These are Eastbourne Borough Council, Hastings Borough Council, Lewes District Council, Rother District Council, and Wealden District Council. In addition, the city of Brighton and Hove operates as a separate unitary authority, Brighton & Hove City Council, independent of the county council and responsible for all local services in its area. Together, these councils govern a county that includes the coastal resorts of Eastbourne and Hastings, the historic town of Lewes, the rural landscapes of the South Downs and High Weald, and the vibrant seaside city of Brighton, balancing strategic services with local community needs.

Districts in East Sussex

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, East Sussex is within one of ITLs Level 2 area, Surrey, East and West Sussex, that contains the following 6 ITLs Level 3 areas:

(ITL 1) South East
(ITL 2) ⇒ Surrey, East and West Sussex
(ITL 3) ⇒⇒ Brighton and Hove ⁞ East Sussex CC ⁞ West Surrey ⁞ East Surrey ⁞ West Sussex (South West) ⁞ West Sussex (North East)

Constituencies in East Sussex

A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 9 of them are in East Sussex.

Local Authorities in East Sussex

Districts in East Sussex

Constituencies in East Sussex

Counties in South East