About East Sussex

East Sussex is a great place to live and work. Not only is the countryside beautiful and largely unspoilt, but our coastlines, towns and villages are vibrant and inviting. We are a county of contrasts and also have significant areas of deprivation facing significant challenges. Across East Sussex we have strong, local communities and we work closely with them to improve their quality of life.

Located on the south coast of England we have a mild and, on average, sunnier climate than much of the rest of the UK, beautiful coastline and a number of coastal towns and villages including Eastbourne, Bexhill, Hastings, Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven. We have a direct link to France from Newhaven and Gatwick is our nearest international airport.

Some of the county sits within the South Downs National Park and two-thirds of East Sussex is designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), including the Sussex Downs, Ashdown Forest and the High Weald AONB. Inland there are many picturesque villages and towns such as Lewes, Rye and Battle. There are numerous and significant historic sites of interest to visit across the County, including the site of the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the Seven Sisters.

Our economy comprises a large number of very small businesses and is mainly service based consisting of public services, education, financial services and tourism. We have a higher than average proportion of residents aged over 65 and 85 and this is set to increase based on current population projections.

East Sussex, Brighton and Hove and the surrounding counties (West Sussex, Surrey and Kent) offer a variety of urban and rural settings in both coastal and inland locations in which to live. There are many sports, leisure and cultural activities. There are also good schools and public facilities for you and your family to use.

There is a variety of housing available in East Sussex, both to rent and buy. Despite the South East being above the national average for house prices, there are many thriving coastal towns that offer good value housing including Eastbourne, Newhaven, Seaford, Bexhill and Hastings as well as inland towns such as Uckfield, Crowborough and Hailsham. Brighton, Haywards Heath and Lewes are also popular places to live in Sussex and have good transport links to London and the South East.