After May 7
No overall control. Reform UK largest party
Council size: 50 seats · 50 up on May 7
Council · County council
East Sussex
No overall control. Reform UK largest party after May 7 2026. (Remained no overall control, previously ncc)
What happened on May 7
Seats won and overall control
Reform UK
22 of 50 seats
Won 22 on May 7 · had 0 before · largest party
Next election
TBC (Local Government Reorganisation)
Two-tier council under English Local Government Reorganisation. Next election date awaiting Statutory Instrument.
Post-May 7 composition
Every party's seat count on the new council
Pre-May-7 composition is the latest OCD snapshot of who held each seat; post is pre minus seats up plus actual winners.
Local Government Reorganisation
Why we don't yet know when East Sussex next votes
East Sussex sits in a two-tier county area under review for Local Government Reorganisation following the English Devolution White Paper (December 2024). The county council and its districts are expected to be replaced by one or more new unitary authorities. Until the Statutory Instrument is laid, the next election date is not in our gift to guess.
We'll flip this page from TBC to a confirmed date the moment the SI publishes.
How accurate was the model here?
Our 7 May 2026 forecast for East Sussex
Locked, sha256-witnessed forecast scored against the actual count. See the full national accuracy audit →
Our locked May 7 forecast
The pre-election prediction
This is the seats-on-the-ballot projection we published before polls opened, used here for accuracy comparison only.
All wards
Per-ward forecast vs actual
| Ward | Our top pick | Actual winner | Predicted share | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arlington, East Hoathly & Hellingly | Conservative | Reform UK | 40.6% | medium |
| Ashdown & Conquest | Reform UK | Reform UK | 36.8% | medium |
| Baird & Ore | Reform UK | Green Party | 35.1% | medium |
| Battle & Crowhurst | Lib Dem | Lib Dem | 37.9% | medium |
| Bexhill East | Reform UK | Reform UK | 33.8% | medium |
| Bexhill North | Conservative | Reform UK | 39.5% | medium |
| Bexhill South | Conservative | Reform UK | 36.0% | medium |
| Bexhill West | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.2% | medium |
| Braybrooke & Castle | Reform UK | Green Party | 35.2% | medium |
| Brede Valley & Marsham | Conservative | Reform UK | 56.7% | medium |
| Central St Leonards & Gensing | Reform UK | Green Party | 34.8% | medium |
| Chailey | Reform UK | Green Party | 32.9% | medium |
| Crowborough North & Jarvis Brook | Reform UK | Reform UK | 33.7% | medium |
| Crowborough South & St Johns | Conservative | Reform UK | 39.8% | medium |
| Devonshire | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.5% | medium |
| Forest Row & Groombridge | Green Party | Green Party | 44.4% | medium |
| Hailsham Market | Lib Dem | Reform UK | 43.1% | medium |
| Hailsham New Town | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.0% | medium |
| Hampden Park | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.6% | medium |
| Heathfield & Mayfield | Green Party | Reform UK | 44.1% | medium |
| Hollington & Wishing Tree | Reform UK | Reform UK | 35.6% | medium |
| Langney | Lib Dem | Lib Dem | 44.7% | medium |
| Lewes | Green Party | Green Party | 40.8% | medium |
| Maresfield & Buxted | Conservative | Green Party | 46.1% | medium |
| Maze Hill & West St Leonards | Conservative | Green Party | 39.1% | medium |
| Meads | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.2% | medium |
| Newhaven & Bishopstone | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.0% | medium |
| Northern Rother | Conservative | Conservative | 40.7% | medium |
| Old Hastings & Tressell | Reform UK | Green Party | 33.7% | medium |
| Old Town | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.4% | medium |
| Ouse Valley West & Downs | Lib Dem | Lib Dem | 36.0% | medium |
| Peacehaven | Conservative | Reform UK | 35.5% | medium |
| Pevensey & Stone Cross | Conservative | Reform UK | 42.0% | medium |
| Polegate & Watermill | Independent | Reform UK | 39.3% | medium |
| Ratton | Conservative | Conservative | 40.2% | medium |
| Ringmer & Lewes Bridge | Green Party | Green Party | 36.7% | medium |
| Rother North West | Conservative | Reform UK | 43.3% | medium |
| Rye & Eastern Rother | Conservative | Reform UK | 34.2% | medium |
| Seaford North | Conservative | Lib Dem | 36.4% | medium |
| Seaford South | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.3% | medium |
| Sovereign | Conservative | Reform UK | 42.4% | medium |
| St Helens & Silverhill | Reform UK | Green Party | 34.9% | medium |
| St. Anthony's | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.3% | medium |
| Telscombe | Reform UK | Reform UK | 35.4% | medium |
| Uckfield North | Conservative | Lib Dem | 35.2% | medium |
| Uckfield South with Framfield | Reform UK | Reform UK | 35.3% | medium |
| Upperton | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.2% | medium |
| Wealden East | Conservative | Reform UK | 33.4% | medium |
| Wealden North East | Reform UK | Conservative | 34.2% | medium |
| Willingdon & South Downs | Independent | Independent | 39.2% | medium |