Greens and Reform reshape Worthing's voice at West Sussex County Council

Worthing has returned a politically divided set of councillors to the new West Sussex County Council, with gains for both the Green Party and Reform UK reshaping the town’s representation.

Across Worthing’s nine county divisions, the Green Party won four seats, Labour won two, Reform UK won two and the Conservatives held one. The results point to a fragmented political picture in the town, with gains being made at opposite ends of the political spectrum.

The Greens were the biggest winners in Worthing, taking Broadwater, Goring, Worthing East and Worthing Pier. Their victories included gains from the Conservatives in Broadwater and Goring, and gains from Labour in Worthing East and Worthing Pier.

Reform UK also made significant advances, winning Durrington and Salvington and Northbrook. In Durrington and Salvington, Charles John Ellerington James took the seat with 1,680 votes, ahead of Conservative candidate Michael Cloake on 979. In Northbrook, Reform UK’s Rob Venn won with 1,428 votes, ahead of Labour’s Ibsha Choudhury on 983.

Labour held Tarring and Worthing West, but lost Worthing East and Worthing Pier to the Greens. The Conservatives held Cissbury, where Elizabeth Sparkes won with 1,577 votes, but lost several other Worthing seats.

Some of the contests were notably close. In Cissbury, the Conservative hold was secured by just 50 votes, with Elizabeth Sparkes on 1,577 and Reform UK’s Jeremy Leonard Berrett Carter on 1,527. In Tarring, Labour’s Henna Chowdhury held the seat with 1,266 votes, only 43 ahead of Reform UK’s Catherine Davies on 1,223. Liberal Democrat Hazel Thorpe was also close behind on 1,178, making it one of the tightest three-way contests in the town.

The results show how unsettled the local political picture has become. The Green Party’s success in Worthing’s coastal and eastern divisions suggests a continuing shift away from the traditional Conservative and Labour contest in parts of the town. At the same time, Reform UK’s wins and strong second-place performances show a substantial protest vote and a challenge to the established parties from the right.

The overall Worthing result means the town’s contribution to the new county council lineup is no longer dominated by a single political tendency. Instead, Worthing will be represented by a mixture of Green, Labour, Reform UK and Conservative councillors, reflecting a more divided electorate and several contests where relatively small swings could have produced different outcomes.

The full Worthing results and candidate vote tables are available here: Local Election 2026 results