A few weeks on from the East Sussex County Council elections, I wanted to write something honest about the campaign: what I was trying to achieve, how the result landed, and where I go from here.
Why I stood and why as a Conservative
When I decided to stand for the Conservative Party, it was a deliberate choice, not a convenience. Some will remember that I was first elected as a Liberal Democrat in 2023, and resigned from that party in May 2024. I wrote at the time about the Alliance administration’s drift toward Green Party governance, the pressure placed on me to stand aside from committee roles, and the sidelining of proper financial scrutiny. That is covered in detail elsewhere on this blog, but the short version is: I left because the party stopped being serious about accountability.
After two years as an Independent, I came to the view that the Conservatives were the right home. Not out of tribalism, but because I believe the Party is rebuilding seriously under Kemi Badenoch. The policy direction is strengthening, the leadership is gaining credibility, and crucially it needs motivated people who are willing to do the work at a local level to re-establish its position. I would rather be part of that effort than watch from the outside.
The campaign
My aim was straightforward: to be the credible, active, locally-rooted candidate who would actually hold East Sussex County Council to account for Crowborough. Roads, wider planning issues, services, the Army Camp. These are not abstract issues. They are things residents raise with me regularly, and I wanted to take that energy into the county chamber.
The result
On 7 May, Sarah Jury of Reform UK won the seat with 1,742 votes. I came second with 1,233, ahead of the Liberal Democrats on 1,166. Turnout was 55%.
I won’t pretend that finishing second is the same as winning. It isn’t. But counts are always exciting, and I was genuinely pleased and grateful to have gained the support of so many people in Crowborough, and to have finished ahead of the Liberal Democrats.
What the result tells us
Reform won with 36% of the vote on a split field. The combined Conservative and Liberal Democrat vote was 2,399, comfortably more than Jury’s total of 1,742. That is the political reality, and it is also the opportunity.
Jury won because the vote fractured, not because Reform has deep roots or a credible record of delivery here. That position is fragile, and it becomes more so the moment she is tested on things that actually matter to residents: the state of the roads, how she votes on council tax, whether she turns up and speaks up for Crowborough at ESCC. I intend to find out.
What I am doing now
I remain your District Councillor for Crowborough South East on Wealden District Council, and that work continues without interruption. I sit on Full Council, the Audit and Governance Committee, and the Majors Planning Committee. I also chair the Scrutiny and Performance Committee, a role I take seriously, and which I was exercising as recently as yesterday when the committee met to examine an issue of significant local concern. I will be publishing a full article on that tomorrow.
I don’t hold formal surgeries. My approach has always been to be directly available: residents can contact me at any time, and I visit, respond, and get on with the work. That isn’t changing.
What I am adding is a sustained focus on ESCC. From this month I will be publishing a regular ESCC Watch on this website, a factual, sourced record of Sarah Jury’s attendance, voting, and casework activity. When she delivers for Crowborough, I will say so. When she doesn’t, I will say that too.
Looking ahead
The next elections in 2027 will be shadow unitary elections as local government reorganisation takes shape. I will be standing again. In the meantime, I will be building the kind of record that speaks for itself, on the issues that matter in Crowborough, at Wealden, and in holding ESCC to account.
You can follow that work here on this website and on Facebook at https://facebook.com/andrew.wilson.crowborough. I am always contactable, just get in touch. My WDC email is [email protected] for ward work.
Thank you to everyone who voted for me, canvassed, or simply had a conversation on the doorstep. The campaign was the beginning of something, not the end of it.
Andrew Wilson District Councillor, Crowborough South East May 2026
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