After May 7
No overall control. Liberal Democrats largest party
Council size: 70 seats · 70 up on May 7
Council · County council
West Sussex
No overall control. Liberal Democrats largest party after May 7 2026. (Majority lost, previously Conservative)
What happened on May 7
Seats won and overall control
Reform UK
23 of 70 seats
Won 23 on May 7 · had 4 before
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 West Sussex next votes
West 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 West 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angmering & Findon | Conservative | Conservative | 38.6% | medium |
| Arundel & Courtwick | Conservative | Reform UK | 34.9% | medium |
| Bersted | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.5% | medium |
| Bewbush & Ifield West | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.8% | medium |
| Billingshurst | Conservative | Lib Dem | 39.8% | medium |
| Bognor Regis East | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.5% | medium |
| Bognor Regis West & Aldwick | Conservative | Reform UK | 38.6% | medium |
| Bourne | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.4% | medium |
| Bramber Castle | Reform UK | Green Party | 34.0% | medium |
| Broadbridge | Conservative | Lib Dem | 36.7% | medium |
| Broadfield | Reform UK | Labour | 35.2% | medium |
| Broadwater | Reform UK | Green Party | 34.8% | medium |
| Burgess Hill East | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.6% | medium |
| Burgess Hill North | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.8% | medium |
| Chichester East | Conservative | Lib Dem | 38.4% | medium |
| Chichester North | Conservative | Lib Dem | 38.8% | medium |
| Chichester South | Green Party | Lib Dem | 43.7% | medium |
| Chichester West | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.6% | medium |
| Cissbury | Conservative | Conservative | 45.1% | medium |
| Cuckfield & Lucastes | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.0% | medium |
| Durrington & Salvington | Conservative | Reform UK | 37.1% | medium |
| East Grinstead Meridian | Reform UK | Conservative | 33.7% | medium |
| East Grinstead South & Ashurst Wood | Conservative | Conservative | 39.8% | medium |
| East Preston & Ferring | Conservative | Conservative | 47.1% | medium |
| Felpham | Reform UK | Reform UK | 33.4% | medium |
| Fontwell | Conservative | Green Party | 34.9% | medium |
| Goring | Conservative | Green Party | 39.7% | medium |
| Hassocks & Burgess Hill South | Lib Dem | Lib Dem | 43.2% | medium |
| Haywards Heath East | Conservative | Lib Dem | 34.0% | medium |
| Haywards Heath Town | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.3% | medium |
| Henfield | Conservative | Conservative | 35.1% | medium |
| Holbrook | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.5% | medium |
| Horsham East | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.7% | medium |
| Horsham Hurst | Lib Dem | Lib Dem | 38.0% | medium |
| Horsham Riverside | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.9% | medium |
| Hurstpierpoint & Bolney | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.2% | medium |
| Imberdown | Independent | Reform UK | 39.1% | medium |
| Lancing | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.3% | medium |
| Langley Green & Ifield East | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.7% | medium |
| Lindfield & High Weald | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.0% | medium |
| Littlehampton East | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.8% | medium |
| Littlehampton Town | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.4% | medium |
| Maidenbower & Worth | Conservative | Reform UK | 46.7% | medium |
| Middleton | Conservative | Reform UK | 39.9% | medium |
| Midhurst | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.3% | medium |
| Northbrook | Conservative | Reform UK | 36.3% | medium |
| Northgate & West Green | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.9% | medium |
| Nyetimber | Conservative | Reform UK | 49.3% | medium |
| Petworth | Conservative | Conservative | 47.8% | medium |
| Pound Hill | Conservative | Reform UK | 44.0% | medium |
| Pulborough | Conservative | Conservative | 40.8% | medium |
| Rother Valley | Conservative | Conservative | 41.9% | medium |
| Rustington | Conservative | Conservative | 46.5% | medium |
| Selsey | Local Alliance | Local | 42.7% | medium |
| Shoreham North | Reform UK | Labour | 34.5% | medium |
| Shoreham South | Reform UK | Green Party | 34.2% | medium |
| Sompting & North Lancing | Conservative | Reform UK | 41.3% | medium |
| Southgate & Gossops Green | Conservative | Reform UK | 36.4% | medium |
| Southwater & Nuthurst | Conservative | Lib Dem | 37.4% | medium |
| Southwick | Conservative | Labour | 35.7% | medium |
| St Leonard's Forest | Reform UK | Lib Dem | 34.7% | medium |
| Storrington | Conservative | Conservative | 41.3% | medium |
| Tarring | Reform UK | Labour | 35.1% | medium |
| The Witterings | Conservative | Lib Dem | 42.9% | medium |
| Three Bridges | Reform UK | Reform UK | 34.4% | medium |
| Tilgate & Furnace Green | Conservative | Reform UK | 40.5% | medium |
| Worth Forest | Conservative | Reform UK | 39.6% | medium |
| Worthing East | Reform UK | Green Party | 34.7% | medium |
| Worthing Pier | Reform UK | Green Party | 34.5% | medium |
| Worthing West | Reform UK | Labour | 35.0% | medium |