Lewes is a local government district

Non-metropolitan district

Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...

 in East Sussex

East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...

 in southern England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 covering an area of 113 sq mi (292.7 km²), with 9 miles (14.5 km) of coastline. It is named after its administrative centre, Lewes

Lewes

Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...

. Other towns in the district include Newhaven

Newhaven, East Sussex

Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...

, Peacehaven

Peacehaven

Peacehaven is a town and civil parish in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England. It is located above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs approximately six miles east of Brighton city centre, on the A259 road...

, and Seaford

Seaford, East Sussex

Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....

. Plumpton racecourse

National Hunt racing

National Hunt racing is the official name given to the sport of horse racing in the United Kingdom, France and Ireland in which the horses are required to jump over obstacles called hurdles or fences...

 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

Local Government Act 1972

The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

, and was a merger of the former borough of Lewes along with Newhaven and Seaford urban districts and Chailey Rural District

Rural district

Rural districts were a type of local government area – now superseded – established at the end of the 19th century in England, Wales, and Ireland for the administration of predominantly rural areas at a level lower than that of the administrative counties.-England and Wales:In England...

.

The district consists of 21 wards which are represented by 41 councillors. Following the local elections

Lewes local elections

Lewes District council in East Sussex, England is elected every four years. Since the last boundary changes in 2003, 41 councillors are elected from 21 wards....

 in May 2011, the political makeup of the district is 22 Conservative

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

 members, 18 Liberal Democrats and one Independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

 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 Barcombe Barcombe is an East Sussex village lying some 4–5 miles north of Lewes. It is also the name of one of the civil parishes in the Lewes District of East Sussex...	Parish Council	1447	6.9	211
Chailey Chailey Chailey is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located ten miles north of Lewes, on the A272 road from Winchester to Canterbury...	Parish Council	2728	9.6	284
Ditchling Ditchling Ditchling is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is contained within the boundaries of the South Downs National Park; the order confirming the establishment of the park was signed in Ditchling....	Parish Council	2027	6.0	339
East Chiltington East Chiltington East Chiltington is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located four miles south-east of Burgess Hill and five miles north-west of Lewes. It is a narrow-shaped parish of some on the northern slope of the South Downs. The village church is 13th century...  & St John Without St John Without St John Without is a small civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England, covering an area to the north-west of the town of Lewes....  ‡	Parish Council	536	5.2	102
Falmer & St Ann Without St Ann Without St Ann Without is a civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It covers an area to the west of the town of Lewes, including Long Hill....  ‡	Parish Council	281	6.6	43
Firle Firle For the suburb of Adelaide, South Australia, see Firle, South Australia.Firle is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. Firle refers to an old-English/Anglo-Saxon word fierol meaning overgrown with oak...	Parish Council	327	5.4	61
Glynde and Beddingham & Tarring Neville Tarring Neville Tarring Neville is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles south of Lewes, on the A26 road to Newhaven. The south west border of the parish runs along the River Ouse, the parish extending into the South Downs.-Landmarks:The parish...  ‡	Parish Council	555	9.8	57
Hamsey Hamsey Hamsey is a civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located three miles north of Lewes on the Prime Meridian...	Parish Council	574	4.4	130
Iford Iford, East Sussex Iford is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located two miles south of Lewes...	Parish Meeting	205	3.7	55
Kingston Kingston near Lewes Kingston near Lewes is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book and is located two miles south of Lewes on the slopes of the South Downs....	Parish Council	843	2.2	383
Lewes Lewes Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...	Town Council	16222	4.4	3679
Newhaven Newhaven, East Sussex Newhaven is a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex in England. It lies at the mouth of the River Ouse, on the English Channel coast, and is a ferry port for services to France.-Origins:...	Town Council	12026	2.7	4375
Newick Newick Newick is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located on the A272 road six miles east of Haywards Heath....	Parish Council	2343	3.0	778
Peacehaven Peacehaven Peacehaven is a town and civil parish in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England. It is located above the chalk cliffs of the South Downs approximately six miles east of Brighton city centre, on the A259 road...	Town Council	13268	2.0	6621
Piddinghoe Piddinghoe Piddinghoe is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located in the valley of the River Ouse between Lewes and Newhaven, five miles south of the former, downstream of Southease....	Parish Council	264	1.5	180
Plumpton Plumpton, East Sussex Plumpton is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles north-west of Lewes. The parish includes the small village of Plumpton and the larger village of Plumpton Green to the north where most of the community and services are based...	Parish Council	1676	3.7	450
Ringmer Ringmer Ringmer is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located three miles east of Lewes. Other small settlements in the parish include Upper Wellingham, Ashton Green, Broyle Side and Little Norlington....	Parish Council	4591	10.0	459
Rodmell Rodmell Rodmell is a small village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located three miles south-west of Lewes, on the Lewes to Newhaven road and is situated by the west banks of the River Ouse...  & Southease Southease Southease is a small village and civil parish in East Sussex, in South East England between the A26 road and the road from Lewes to Newhaven. The village is to the west of the River Ouse, Sussex and has a church dedicated to Saint Peter...  ‡	Parish Council	502	4.3	115
Seaford Seaford, East Sussex Seaford is a coastal town in the county of East Sussex, on the south coast of England. Lying east of Newhaven and Brighton and west of Eastbourne, it is the largest town in Lewes district, with a population of about 23,000....	Town Council	23161	6.7	3480
South Heighton South Heighton South Heighton is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located seven miles south of Lewes. In the 1890s the population of the village grew from less than 100 to over 500 as a result of the opening of a nearby cement manufacturing plant...	Parish Council	1106	3.3	338
Streat Streat Streat is a village and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The village is located five miles south east of Burgess Hill and eight miles west of Lewes, on the northern slopes of the South Downs....	Parish Meeting	179	2.0	89
Telscombe Telscombe Telscombe is a civil parish with the status of a town in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It consists of three distinct settlements, separated from each other by an open area of downland called Telscombe Tye....	Town Council	7146	1.8	3913
Westmeston Westmeston Westmeston is a hamlet and civil parish in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. It is located four miles south southeast of Burgess Hill and west of Lewes, on the northern slopes of the South Downs....	Parish Council	307	3.3	94
Wivelsfield Wivelsfield Wivelsfield village, and larger adjacent village of Wivelsfield Green, are part of the civil parish of Wivelsfield in the Lewes District of East Sussex, England. The villages are located three miles south east of Haywards Heath...	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

Sussex Police

Sussex Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing East Sussex, West Sussex and City of Brighton and Hove in southern England. Its head office is in Lewes, Lewes District, East Sussex.-History:...

 has its head office in Lewes

Lewes

Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...

, Lewes District.