VOTERS are going to the polls across Sussex to determine who they want to run their local councils.

Elections are taking place in Adur, Crawley, Hastings and Worthing - with a council by-election in Rottingdean.

In Worthing, Labour and the Conservatives are battling for control of the council, with both parties having 17 councillors each, short of the 19 needed for a majority. Labour is hoping to take control of the town’s council for the first time in history, while the Tories are hoping to restore their majority - which was lost after a by-election in December last year.

In Rottingdean, voters will be electing a new councillor following the sudden resignation of Joe Miller earlier this year. The Greens currently have the most councillors in Brighton and Hove with 20, 15 for Labour, 12 for the Conservatives and six independent councillors. The by-election is set to be the last electoral test for the parties ahead of elections for the whole council next year.

Meanwhile, in Crawley, Labour is hoping to gain a majority after running the council in coalition with an independent councillor. The Conservatives are the largest group currently with 18 councillors, while Labour has 17 with one independent.

In Adur, the Conservatives hold 19 seats on the council to Labour’s five, with two independents and one Green. 14 of the council’s seats are up for election.

Labour are fighting to maintain their majority control of the council in Hastings, where they have 18 councillors, to the Conservatives 12, with two Greens. Half of the council’s 32 seats are being contested today.

Follow the latest news and results with The Argus’s live blogs and updates on theargus.co.uk.