Upcoming elections

Elections 7th May 2026: Adur District, Worthing Borough and West Sussex County elections take place on Thursday 7th May. The deadline for voter registration is 11:59pm on Monday 20th April, see: Register to vote. Voters also have until 5pm on Tuesday 21st April to apply for a postal vote and 5pm on Tuesday 28th April to apply for a proxy vote or free voter ID. See: Apply for a postal or proxy vote and Photographic voter ID.

Find out about upcoming elections:

2026:

7th May 2026:
- Adur District elections
- Worthing Borough elections
- West Sussex County Council elections
(WSCC: postponed from 1st May 2025)
See: documents and details for the 7th May 2026 elections

Details of any unscheduled councillor vacancies will be added here if they arise.
See also: election results

2027:

6th May 2027:
- Worthing Borough elections
- Shadow Authority (Unitary)

2028:

Date to be confirmed: Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA): the first mayoral election for Sussex
See also:
- Devolution and local government reorganisation
- Future of local government in Sussex - on the WSCC website

When are elections held?

Adur District:
Councillors are elected for four-year terms, by halves. Elections are held every two years, except in the year when the county council election is held. At each election half of the councillors (or as near as possible) are elected.
See also: Adur Councillors
Worthing Borough:
Councillors are elected for four-year terms by thirds. Elections are held every year, except in the year when the county council election is held. At each election a third of the councillors (or as near as possible) are elected.
See also: Worthing Councillors
West Sussex County (WSCC):
County councillors are elected once every four years, in whole council elections.
See also: West Sussex County Councillors
Lancing Parish and Sompting Parish (in Adur):
Parish councillors are elected once every four years in whole council elections.
See also:
- Lancing Parish Council website
- Sompting Parish Council website
- Note: There are no parish councils in Worthing
United Kingdom Parliament Members of Parliament (MPs):
Members of Parliament will be elected once every five years from 2019:
- Adur District Council is responsible for elections in the East Worthing and Shoreham constituency
- Worthing Borough Council is responsible for elections in the Worthing West constituency
- See also: MPs
Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC):
A Police & Crime Commissioner is elected every four years for each police area. Adur District and Worthing Borough electors vote for a commissioner to the Sussex Police area. The first PCC election was held in 2012.
See also: Police & Crime Commissioner (PCC) elections
By-election:
A by-election may be held at any time if a casual vacancy occurs, for example due to the resignation of an elected member.