Wealden left in the cold: A council lacking leadership

When the moment came to make a hard decision, Wealden District Council blinked. While every other council in East Sussex backed the “One East Sussex” plan for a single county-wide authority, Wealden alone walked away.

This was not strength. It was weakness. It was not leadership. It was cowardice.

One East Sussex: support everywhere else

The “One East Sussex” plan was not perfect, but it had one crucial feature: unity. All the other councils in East Sussex recognised that reform is coming. The old two-tier system of county and districts is outdated, expensive, and confusing for residents. By standing together, they maximised their influence.

Wealden alone refused. Instead of shaping the future, it chose isolation. That is not defending Wealden’s interests. It is abandoning them.

A sham process predetermined in private

The Alliance like to describe themselves as “open, honest and transparent.” Yet what we witnessed in practice was the opposite.

At full council on Wednesday this week, when members finally had the chance to speak, many of the Alliance sat mute. Their silence was telling. The decision had been agreed in advance, stitched up in private, and nothing said in public would be allowed to disturb that.

What followed was even worse. A Cabinet meeting more akin to a pantomime. The outcome looked pre-ordained. The debate was for show, with scripted lines read from iPads. Residents expecting openness got poor-quality theatre instead.

Other councils were given the opportunity to vote, yet this was denied at Wealden. Moreover, at least two Alliance councillors had the courage to speak out against what has all the hallmarks of a predetermined decision, and subordinates the interests of Wealden residents to those of Brighton and Hove.

That is not democracy. It is performative politics done badly.

Hostages to the extremist Green Party

James Partridge, the Lib Dem Leader of the Council, looked less like a leader and more like a hostage. At times he seemed more like Terry Waite in Beirut; captive, powerless, waiting for his Green Party masters to decide his fate.

The truth is that the Liberal Democrats in Wealden have succumbed to political Stockholm syndrome. So dominated by the extremist Green Party, assisted by Labour, they now defend their captors’ disruptive left-wing ideology more fiercely than they defend Wealden itself. They no longer act as an independent party, but as enablers for extremist Green politics.

Two members of the alliance who dared to question the wisdom of the Brighton five unitary model, which would see parts of the county absorbed into Brighton, and Wealden stitched together with Mid Sussex, who hadn’t even been asked if they cared, received frosty stares from chief hostage-taker Cllr Millward. Cllr Millward is not a native of Wealden, having only arrived in the district in 2021. Her poor grasp of the local cultural and economic geography was on full display as she sought to press what increasingly looks like a back-room deal to promote the political interests of Brighton.

Labour’s complicity

And let us not forget the role of Labour. A pair of councillors keeping the Alliance alive. The same Labour Party presiding over national decline is now propping up wanting leadership in Wealden. When they had the chance to stand up for residents, they chose silence — in fact Councillor Ben Cox didn’t even bother to turn up.

The contrast: Wealden Partners members spoke up

While the Alliance hid behind staged theatre, the Wealden Partners group; Conservatives and Independents working together, put residents first.

Cllr Ann Newton warned clearly of the risks of isolation. Cllr David White reminded the chamber that leadership is about making tough decisions, not ducking them. And as a member of Wealden Partners myself, I was proud that we spoke with honesty when the Alliance refused.

We may not hold the Cabinet seats, but we represent the spirit of true local democracy: open debate, straight answers, and putting residents’ interests first.

What this means for residents

By refusing to engage with “One East Sussex,” the Alliance has:

• Weakened Wealden’s negotiating hand — reform is coming, maybe in more ways than one, but Wealden will likely have little say in the future of East Sussex.
• Denied scrutiny of the decision — the committee looked only at background papers, not the decision itself. The Leader didn’t offer much in the way of opinion, and the Deputy Leader didn’t turn up at all, despite appearing on BBC last Sunday to give a superficial and typically unevidenced opinion.
• Staged a performance — a full council not permitted to vote, followed by a pantomime Cabinet.
• Isolated Wealden — while every other council presented a united front.
• Exposed their weak leadership — when courage was most needed.

Wealden deserves better

Residents deserve councillors who debate openly, make hard choices, and fight for our district’s future. Instead, they got silence, stage-management, and surrender.

Wealden deserves courage. It deserves honesty. It deserves leadership.

That is what Wealden Partners stood for in this debate. And that is the leadership our district urgently needs. This is being framed as a “Council Decision.” However it is described, it certainly isn’t that.