Council by-election · Mid Sussex District: Haywards Heath Bentswood & Heath ward · Thursday, 10 December 2026
This is where politics meets your life.
Before anyone asks for your vote: what the official record says about the area around this area, from planning to local statistics, and who represents you now.
Life in Mid Sussex District: Haywards Heath Bentswood & Heath ward: the official facts
Official open data about the area. It describes the place, not you, and it favours no candidate.
People claiming unemployment-related benefits
115 people in Haywards Heath Bentswood & Heath ward, 2.2% of residents aged 16–64, against 4.1% across England (September 2026).
Claimant count, Office for National Statistics via Nomis (Open Government Licence). It counts people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit while required to seek work; it is not the same as the unemployment rate.
House prices in Mid Sussex
Average price £431,904, down 0.8% on a year earlier (August 2026).
Flats and maisonettes: £219,137
Detached houses: £732,644
Source: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index for the local authority (Open Government Licence). A local-authority average; prices within it vary widely.
Recorded crime nearby, September 2026
190 street-level crimes recorded within about a mile of the area's centre.
violent crime: 58
anti social behaviour: 44
public order: 26
shoplifting: 17
vehicle crime: 9
burglary: 8
Source: data.police.uk (Open Government Licence). Centroid of the ONS 2024 boundary. Statistics near this point describe the area, not any household. Recorded crime reflects reporting and policing as well as offending; see the ONS guidance in further reading.
Who represents you now
Councillors for Haywards Heath Bentswood & Heath, as recorded after the May 2026 elections:
Anthony Platts, Liberal Democrats
Alison Rees, Liberal Democrats
This by-election fills a seat that has fallen vacant since then, so one of those listed may no longer hold it.
Across the whole of Mid Sussex council (48 seats in 2026): Conservative 18, Labour 1, Liberal Democrat 19, Green 4, Other 6. Run by: a coalition or arrangement of Liberal Democrats and independents.
Councillors and council make-up from Open Council Data (public domain). The council's own website lists current councillors and how to contact them.
