West 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 ⁞ West Sussex lies on the south coast and blends coastal resorts such as Worthing, Bognor Regis, and Littlehampton with historic inland towns like Chichester (the county town) and Arundel. The South Downs National Park runs through the county, offering scenic countryside and outdoor activities. West Sussex is administered by West Sussex County Council and seven district and borough councils.

Is West Sussex a historic county? Yes—West Sussex is a historic county (originally part of the historic Sussex). Administratively, it is a shire county with a county council and seven districts.

West Sussex has 7 Local Authority Districts. The chart below shows how this compares with other counties in England.

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

This county page, West 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 West Sussex

West Sussex County Council (County Council) 🔗 westsussex.gov.uk
Adur District Council (District Council) 🔗 adur-worthing.gov.uk
Arun District Council (District Council) 🔗 arun.gov.uk
Chichester District Council (District Council) 🔗 chichester.gov.uk
Crawley Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 crawley.gov.uk
Horsham District Council (District Council) 🔗 horsham.gov.uk
Mid Sussex District Council (District Council) 🔗 midsussex.gov.uk
Worthing Borough Council (District Council) 🔗 adur-worthing.gov.uk

West Sussex, in England’s South East region, has a two-tier system of local government with West Sussex County Council responsible for county-wide services such as education, transport, and social care, alongside seven district and borough councils that manage local matters including planning, housing, and waste collection. These are Adur District Council, Arun District Council, Chichester District Council, Crawley Borough Council, Horsham District Council, Mid Sussex District Council, and Worthing Borough Council. Together, the county and district councils provide governance for an area that includes the cathedral city of Chichester, the seaside towns of Worthing and Bognor Regis, the new town of Crawley, market towns such as Horsham and Haywards Heath, and the scenic landscapes of the South Downs and High Weald, balancing strategic oversight with locally focused services.

Districts in West Sussex

In the International Territorial Levels (ITLs) hierarchy, West 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 West 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 West Sussex.

Local Authorities in West Sussex

Districts in West Sussex

Constituencies in West Sussex

Counties in South East