John Milne has continued in his role representing residents by responding to local casework and attending full County Council meetings since being elected to Parliament in July 2024.
John Milne had previously announced his intention to complete his term of office and step down at the next all-out WSCC election, which were scheduled for 01 May 2025. However, the Conservative Cabinet at WSCC applied to defer their elections due to the Labour Government’s recently announced proposal for local government reorganisation.
Commenting on his resignation, John Milne MP said: “It’s with regret I’d like to announce my resignation as Councillor for Horsham Riverside at West Sussex County Council. This is a role I’ve served in since 2021, when I took over from long-serving Lib Dem member Morwen Milson.
“I had been intending to step down in May at the scheduled election, following my appointment last year as MP for Horsham, but wanted to support the Liberal Democrat Opposition group through the end of the financial year. This would have also avoided the expense of a Riverside by-election only to be followed swiftly by the regular all-out election.
“However, the Conservative administration at WSCC have chosen to exploit the opportunity of the local government review process and have cancelled the West Sussex all-out election. I strongly disagree with this decision. Although the initial delay is said to be for one year, in practice it’s likely it will take three years before a replacement unitary council is ready to take over. As a result, current WSCC councillors will end up serving three years extra on top of the four year term they’ve already completed.
“A seven year term without renewed democratic endorsement is wholly wrong. I don’t doubt that the WSCC Conservative administration has taken this decision in order to avoid an anticipated widespread loss of seats in an election, leading to possible loss of overall control of WSCC.
“Many councillors will have been intending to step down this May, whether because of age or other reasons. West Sussex deserves better than a poorly motivated, poorly functioning council with a party in charge that no longer commands democratic support.
I’m honoured to have served the residents of Riverside for the last 4 years and I wish my successor all the best for the future.”
Chair of the Horsham Liberal Democrats, Sarah Ullmann, added: “We thank John Milne for his years of service as a Councillor. We look forward to announcing our next Liberal Democrat candidate once the by-election is called, who will continue the legacy of hard-working, local champions representing Horsham Riverside residents at County Hall.