This page outlines what a Council is, the difference between local and national government and how Rother District Council works.
Government in the UK is provided in two ways: central and local.
Central Government
At a national level, the country is divided into 650 Parliamentary Constituencies and voters in each area elect a Member of Parliament (MP) to sit in the House of Commons and represent them. Rother has 2 MPs:
More information about Parliament responsibilities, including contact details for Members of Parliament are available from the Parliament website.
Central Government’s responsibilities include:
- setting and collecting all taxes, except council tax
- the National Health Service
- state benefits such as unemployment benefit, tax credits and state pensions
- making and reviewing UK law
- the Country’s security
Local Government
At local level, the country is divided into a series of local authorities or councils. Councils provide services in their local area. Voters in each area (electoral divisions) elect people to sit on the Council and represent them. District Council elections are held every 4 years, with the next elections due in May 2027. Some Borough Councils, such as Hastings have different election arrangements. East Sussex County Council elections are held every 4 years and their next elections are in May 2025. Find out more about local elections.
Councils provide services in their local area. In East Sussex, some of these services are provided by Borough and District Councils but most are provided by East Sussex County Council. Services provided by East Sussex County Council include:
- education
- social services
- roads and transport
- waste disposal
- economic development
- countywide planning and the environment
- protecting the public
- libraries
District and Borough Councils
District and Borough Councils provide many services, including:
- refuse collection and recycling
- environmental health
- tourism and regeneration
- leisure and amenities
- planning permission and building control
- housing needs services
- collection of Council Tax
- coastal protection
- off street car parking
- regeneration
- licensing
All the services provided by Rother District Council can be found on our services page. Services provided by East Sussex County Council can be found on their website
The other 4 Borough and District Councils in East Sussex are:
Parish and Town Councils
There are 32 Parish and Town Councils in Rother, plus one Parish Meeting. Services that Parish and Town Councils may provide include:
- allotments
- bus shelters
- cemeteries
- children’s play grounds
- grants for local projects / organisations
- halls for social clubs and meetings
- parish lighting
- recreational / sports fields
- traffic calming measures
- war memorial maintenance