WATCH SUSSEX

We missed our usual Sunday newsletter, so this is a slightly fuller midweek briefing covering some of the stories and investigations we have been following across Sussex.

There has been movement on several of them — including the cost of local government reorganisation in West Sussex, our investigation into recurring gas-like odours around Southwick and Shoreham Harbour, and the continuing story of Albion Street in Southwick.

As always, our approach is straightforward: follow the documents, distinguish fact from allegation, and change our conclusions when the evidence changes.

£975,677: what has been spent on West Sussex local government reorganisation

We now have a detailed Freedom of Information response from Horsham District Council concerning expenditure on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

The figures provide a much clearer picture of the programme.

Collective expenditure across the West Sussex LGR programme is estimated at £975,677.

Central government provided a £315,172 Proposal Development Contribution grant, leaving a stated net cost of £660,505.

Horsham District Council says this net cost is currently being met from pooled funding and has not yet resulted in a draw on the Council Tax Requirement of any of the constituent authorities.

The response also identifies a substantial programme of consultancy and professional support.

Suppliers named include PA Consulting, Hays Accountancy, McLean, Shape Associates, CIPFA, APC Consulting and Real World HR.

A separate 2026/27 table gives a total programme budget of approximately £2.03 million, covering spending, budgets and commitments.

That figure should not be confused with money already spent. The documented expenditure-to-date calculation remains approximately £976,000.

The response opens further questions worth examining: what was commissioned, how expenditure was authorised, what work was delivered and what happens to outstanding commitments if the timetable or structure of reorganisation changes.

WATCH Sussex will continue following the money.

Southwick and Shoreham gas odours: SGN responds

WATCH Sussex has received SGN’s response to our Environmental Information Regulations request concerning recurring reports of gas-like odours around Southwick and Shoreham Harbour.

Our request covered reports dating from January 2021 and sought information about locations including Southwick railway station, The Gardens, Albion Street, Kingston Lane, Fishergate, Basin Road South and the area surrounding Shoreham Power Station.

We also asked specific questions about the gas infrastructure serving Shoreham Power Station and a pipeline identified in publicly available company documentation near Fishergate Terrace.

SGN has supplied a formal response together with incident data.

We are now analysing that material against the other evidence gathered during the investigation.

We are not attributing the reported odours to SGN, Shoreham Power Station or any other operator unless the evidence supports that conclusion.

The central question remains:

What has been causing repeated reports of gas-like smells in this relatively small area?

We will publish what the evidence shows once that analysis is complete.

Albion Street: five years on

Our investigation into the council-owned housing development at Albion Street, Southwick continues.

The development was designed to provide 49 council homes, with construction beginning in March 2021.

The project subsequently encountered significant problems, including defects associated with the building’s design and weatherproofing. The homes have remained unavailable for occupation while the council has worked through the consequences and options for completing the development.

Adur District Council said in July that more than £3 million could be required to remediate the development.

That is an estimate rather than a final project cost.

WATCH Sussex has been examining the chronology of the project, the decisions surrounding it and the financial consequences of 49 council homes remaining unavailable for years.

There is another decision approaching.

The council’s current forward plan lists “Delivery of the Albion Street Project”, with a decision expected not before 19 October 2026.

We will be watching that decision closely.

There is also an encouraging indication that residents want detailed reporting on the issue: this week a new WATCH Sussex newsletter subscriber joined directly through our Albion Street investigation.

That does not influence our editorial conclusions, but it does tell us people are finding and following the underlying work.

Empty homes: bringing properties back into use

Adur District Council has also provided an update on its empty-homes programme.

The council says 16 homes have been completed, with another 20 underway, as part of a programme intended ultimately to bring more than 40 properties back into use.

The programme is separate from Albion Street, and the two should not be conflated.

Bringing long-term empty properties back into occupation can provide additional housing without waiting for an entirely new development to be constructed.

WATCH Sussex will continue tracking both the number of homes delivered and the public money committed to the programme.

New information requirements for social landlords

A significant change to social-housing transparency also came into force this month.

From 1 October 2026, Chapter 1 of the new Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements — STAIRs — requires private registered providers of social housing to proactively publish specified information.

A further stage begins on 1 April 2027, when tenants will gain rights to make information requests under the new regime.

The Housing Ombudsman will also have a role in handling complaints concerning the requirements.

The Ombudsman’s latest annual review reports that severe-maladministration findings fell from 714 to 470 during 2025/26.

That is a substantial reduction, although hundreds of households were still affected by the most serious failings, with repairs remaining a particularly significant area.

WATCH Sussex will be examining what the new transparency regime means for Sussex residents and whether it provides useful additional routes for scrutinising social-housing providers.

What we’re watching next

Several investigations remain open.

We are continuing to examine:

• the detailed evidence behind the Southwick and Shoreham gas-odour reports;

• expenditure, contracts and decision-making surrounding West Sussex local government reorganisation;

• the Albion Street housing development and its financial consequences;

• Adur’s empty-homes programme;

• major council decisions and spending across Adur, Worthing and West Sussex;

• developments surrounding the proposed Sussex mayoral authority and the people seeking to influence or lead it.

Some of these investigations take time.

That is deliberate.

Being first matters less than being able to show readers where a claim came from, what the evidence actually says and what remains unknown.

Help us follow Sussex

WATCH Sussex is an independent, evidence-led local accountability project covering public decisions, spending and institutions across Sussex.

If somebody forwarded this newsletter to you, subscribe to receive future investigations and briefings directly.

And if you have documents, information or a story you think deserves scrutiny, contact WATCH Sussex.

Tips are treated carefully, and publication is never automatic simply because somebody makes an allegation.

WATCH SUSSEX

Evidence first. Questions where they need to be asked. Corrections when the evidence changes.