SUSSEX MAYOR
Caroline Baxter
Labour and Co-operative
Selected in 2025; 2028 reconfirmation not located
FIRST SUSSEX MAYORAL ELECTION
SUSSEX
MAYOR
Explore the people who have publicly announced mayoral campaigns, their backgrounds and their published priorities.
Expected May 2028
The exact polling date is awaiting official confirmation in the council notices checked. Horsham lists May 2028 ↗; Adur and Worthing list 2028, date to be confirmed ↗.
Six announced or previously announced candidates found. This is a sourced directory, not a confirmed ballot list. Several announcements relate to the postponed 2026 election. Each profile explains what has and has not been reconfirmed.
Checked 1 September 2026. Profiles are alphabetical by surname. The election covers East Sussex, West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.
SUSSEX MAYOR
Katy Bourne
Conservative
Selected in 2025; official nomination not confirmed
SUSSEX MAYOR
Ben Dempsey
Liberal Democrat
Selected in 2025; official nomination not confirmed
SUSSEX MAYOR
Paul Linehan
Reform UK
Previously announced; current campaign status unconfirmed
SUSSEX MAYOR
Rachel Millward
Green Party
Campaign explicitly refers to 2028; official nomination not confirmed
SUSSEX MAYOR
Martin Webb
Independent
Stood down / withdrawn — 4 September 2026
What the status labels mean
Announced or selected
A public statement or party selection is evidence of an intended candidacy at that time. It is not proof that the person will appear on the final ballot. An older announcement remains dated here until newer evidence is found.
Officially nominated
We will use this label only after checking the returning officer’s official list. No such list has been located for this election, so none of these profiles is labelled officially nominated.
The register retains six historical profiles; five remain active prospective candidates after Martin Webb stood down on 4 September 2026. Each profile uses the same format, three groups of published priorities, source links and questionnaire status. Photographs are linked at their original sources; permission to reproduce most portraits remains outstanding. No candidate has been contacted.
Contemporary roundup documenting the six announcements · ITV, 5 December 2025 ↗