Electors overwhelmingly support Graffham-East Lavington merger
Electors in Graffham and East Lavington overwhelmingly supported a merger of the two civil parishes at a rare joint meeting of the communities in the Empire Hall on Tuesday 14 October.
Published: 14 October 2025
In an indicative ballot, the 40 residents of East Lavington who either attended the meeting or cast a vote by email – representing more than 25 per cent of the parish’s total electors – polled 92 per cent in favour of combining with Graffham. In total, 37 voted for a merger and just three against.
From Graffham, the level of support was even higher. Only one of the 33 who cast a vote was against a merger.
If you haven’t voted already, you can still do so by emailing clerk@graffham-pc.gov.uk, noting your name and address.
More than 60 residents from the two parishes attended the meeting, along with both sets of parish councillors bar one who was travelling on unavoidable business. The district and county councillors for the area, John Cross and Tom Richardson, were also in attendance.
Graffham Parish Council wants the merger to proceed. East Lavington parish councillors are split on the proposal but agreed to consult their electorate.
East Lavington Chairman Simon Longman presented the case for the merger. Nobody stepped forward to present the case against the proposed amalgamation. Among the four points raised from the floor, the main issue of concern was the name to be given to the combined civil parish, should it come about.
The ballot conducted at the meeting is not binding. The two sets of parish councillors will now decide whether to press ahead with the merger, with the issue expected to be on the agenda for both parish councils’ next meetings – East Lavington’s on Monday 17 November at 6.15pm at Seaford College and Graffham’s on Tuesday 25 November at 6.30pm at the Empire Hall.
For further background, see October’s Graffham Parish News.