Plans set out by the Sussex police and crime commissioner to take responsibility for fire services in East and West Sussex – and merge them – have met with opposition.

The move is part of national fire service reforms revealed by Home Secretary Theresa May last week.

Sussex PCC Katy Bourne said emergency services would have an increased duty to work together under the new bill.

But West Sussex County Council ( said it already had an excellent model. An East Sussex’s fire authority said it would work with the PCC but it believed collaboration could be achieved without elaborate structural change.