Lewes is a local government district in East Sussex in southern England covering an area of 113 sq mi (290 km2), with 9 miles (14.5 km) of coastline. It is named after its administrative centre, Lewes. Other towns in the district include Newhaven, Peacehaven, and Seaford. Plumpton racecourse is within the district. There are 28 parishes in the district.
The district was formed on 1 April 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the former borough of Lewes along with Newhaven and Seaford urban districts and Chailey Rural District.
The district consists of 21 wards which are represented by 41 councillors. Following the local elections in May 2011, the political makeup of the district is 22 Conservative members, 18 Liberal Democrats and one Independent member. Prior to the 2011 election, the council had been in the control of the Liberal Democrats since 1991.
The district wards are:
| Ward | Population (2007) | Councillors | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barcombe and Hamsey | 2021 | 1 | 2021 |
| Chailey and Wivelsfield | 4687 | 2 | 2344 |
| Ditchling and Westmeston | 2334 | 1 | 2334 |
| East Saltdean and Telscombe Cliffs | 7146 | 3 | 2382 |
| Kingston | 2095 | 1 | 2095 |
| Lewes Bridge | 4357 | 2 | 2179 |
| Lewes Castle | 4712 | 2 | 2356 |
| Lewes Priory | 7153 | 3 | 2384 |
| Newhaven Denton and Meeching | 8236 | 3 | 2745 |
| Newhaven Valley | 3790 | 2 | 1895 |
| Newick | 2343 | 1 | 2343 |
| Ouse Valley and Ringmer | 6579 | 3 | 2193 |
| Peacehaven East | 4325 | 2 | 2163 |
| Peacehaven North | 4772 | 2 | 2386 |
| Peacehaven West | 4171 | 2 | 2086 |
| Plumpton, Streat, East Chiltington and St John (Without) | 2391 | 1 | 2391 |
| Seaford Central | 4712 | 2 | 2356 |
| Seaford East | 4704 | 2 | 2352 |
| Seaford North | 4906 | 2 | 2453 |
| Seaford South | 4400 | 2 | 2200 |
| Seaford West | 4439 | 2 | 2220 |
| Total Lewes | 94723 | 41 | 2299 |
The civil parishes within the district are:
| Parish | Type | Population (2007) | Area (sq mi) | Pop Density /sq mi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcombe | Parish Council | 1447 | 6.9 | 211 |
| Chailey | Parish Council | 2728 | 9.6 | 284 |
| Ditchling | Parish Council | 2027 | 6.0 | 339 |
| East Chiltington & St John Without ‡ | Parish Council | 536 | 5.2 | 102 |
| Falmer & St Ann Without ‡ | Parish Council | 281 | 6.6 | 43 |
| Firle | Parish Council | 327 | 5.4 | 61 |
| Glynde and Beddingham & Tarring Neville ‡ | Parish Council | 555 | 9.8 | 57 |
| Hamsey | Parish Council | 574 | 4.4 | 130 |
| Iford | Parish Meeting | 205 | 3.7 | 55 |
| Kingston | Parish Council | 843 | 2.2 | 383 |
| Lewes | Town Council | 16222 | 4.4 | 3679 |
| Newhaven | Town Council | 12026 | 2.7 | 4375 |
| Newick | Parish Council | 2343 | 3.0 | 778 |
| Peacehaven | Town Council | 13268 | 2.0 | 6621 |
| Piddinghoe | Parish Council | 264 | 1.5 | 180 |
| Plumpton | Parish Council | 1676 | 3.7 | 450 |
| Ringmer | Parish Council | 4591 | 10.0 | 459 |
| Rodmell & Southease ‡ | Parish Council | 502 | 4.3 | 115 |
| Seaford | Town Council | 23161 | 6.7 | 3480 |
| South Heighton | Parish Council | 1106 | 3.3 | 338 |
| Streat | Parish Meeting | 179 | 2.0 | 89 |
| Telscombe | Town Council | 7146 | 1.8 | 3913 |
| Westmeston | Parish Council | 307 | 3.3 | 94 |
| Wivelsfield | Parish Council | 1959 | 4.2 | 470 |
| Total Lewes | 94273 | 112.7 | 836 |
‡ St John Without, St Ann Without, Tarring Neville and Southease are separate Parish Meetings but have been merged with their neighbouring parishes for the population statistics.
The Sussex Police has its head office in Lewes, Lewes District.