Eastbourne - Governance

Governance

Eastbourne Borough Council is responsible for local governance, with representation provided by twenty seven councillors from nine wards, with elections to the council being held every four years. The 2011 election resulted in a council made up of 15 Liberal Democrat and 12 Conservative councillors. The council operates out of a Victorian town hall designed by W. Tadman Foulkes, and built between 1884 and 1886 under supervision of Henry Currey, the Duke of Devonshire's architect. East Sussex County Council has responsibility for education, libraries, social services, civil registration, trading standards and transport. Out of the 49 seats, nine are filled by the Eastbourne wards. The 2009 East Sussex County Council election resulted in 29 Conservatives, 13 Liberal Democrats, 4 Labour and 3 Independent, of which Eastbourne provided 6 Liberal Democrats and 3 Conservatives.

The Parliament Constituency of Eastbourne covers a greater area than the nine local wards, extending to the north and the east. Eastbourne is a marginal seat contested between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Eastbourne is Stephen Lloyd, who took the seat from the sitting Conservative MP Nigel Waterson with a 3.8% swing on a turnout of 67% in the 2010 General Election. At European level, Eastbourne is represented by the South-East region, which holds ten seats in the European Parliament. The 2009 election returned 4 Conservatives, 2 Liberal Democrats, 2 UK Independence, 1 Labour and 1 Green.