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BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Essex County Council chief backs three-council restructure option
A local authority leader has said splitting a county into three new unitary authorities would be the best approach to keep tax costs Bentley, the Conservative leader of Essex County Council, said dividing the county into three authorities would balance maintaining services with saving in Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Maldon, Southend, and Uttlesford favour a five-authority solution, a plan which is now out for public proposals follow the government's request that authorities in Essex find ways to reduce the number of councils and replace them with bigger unitary councils. Greater Essex currently comprises 15 councils that serve nearly 1.9 million part of the government's devolution agenda to streamline local governance, the 15 councils will be replaced in the next three years by a smaller number of unitary authorities which would deliver all local services independently - except those managed by town and parish councils, which will remain unaffected. Two-tier system Southend-on-Sea City Council and Thurrock Council already operate as unitary rest of Essex follows a two-tier system, with district councils focusing on local services - such as waste collection, street cleaning and leisure facilities - and Essex County Council providing wider services, such as adult social care and special educational needs Robinson, Liberal Democrat leader of Chelmsford City Council, said: "We think that serving Chelmsford and our neighbouring communities is best done by councils who understand local issues and remain as close as possible to their residents."Bentley said: "In an ideal world, we might be able to consider higher numbers of new unitary councils, as some councils in Essex are."He claimed that adopting the five-authority model "would mean less money for services, or rises in council taxes" and the smaller authorities "won't have the financial resilience and the ability to absorb 'shocks' to the system like spikes in inflation or energy price increases".He added: "We have to live within our means and within constrained funding for public services."Daniel Cowan, Labour leader of Southend on Sea Borough Council and chairman of the five councils' group, said five unitary authorities would be "stronger, more resilient councils that still feel rooted in the communities they serve".Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council, added: "It's time to take back control of our borough - making decisions for - Basildon and providing services for our residents." This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
County council opposes combined authority plan
Essex County Council has told the government it "cannot support the proposal for devolution in Greater Essex in its current form". The local authority supports a major shake-up and reduction in the number of councils in the area. As part of the plans, a mayor would be elected and a combined authority would be set up to make key decisions on issues including transport and housing. Conservative-run Essex County Council says it should have more voting power on this combined authority, compared with councillors from neighbouring Southend and Thurrock. Under this plan, Essex would have three voting members on the combined authority, whilst Southend and Thurrock would both have two. The Labour leaders of Southend and Thurrock support the proposed setup. The county council argues that it represents 80% of the population of Essex and should have at least 50% of the votes. Essex leader Kevin Bentley told Local Government Minister Jim McMahon it would "ensure fairer representation". He proposed there should be two voting members from Essex, and one each from Southend and Thurrock, with the mayor potentially having the deciding vote. Daniel Cowan, Labour leader of Southend-on-Sea City Council, told the BBC: "Southend has been clear we wouldn't accept anything other than what has been proposed. "We think it is fair and balanced and it sets us up in the right way for local government reform." The existing council structure in Essex is set for radical change with plans for the current 15 councils to become between three and five all-purpose unitary authorities. A timetable for reforming local government in Essex has been set out: Elections for a Greater Essex mayor on 7 May 2026 Elections for the new-look Essex councils in May 2027 The new councils would replace the existing ones in 2028 The mayor would be directly elected, which means the population will choose their preferred candidate. John Kent, Labour leader of Thurrock Council, said devolution "gives us the opportunity to grow the Essex economy and we cannot afford little wrangles like the niceties of voting numbers to scupper that". Cowan added: "We have all worked together collegiately to get to this point so far. "It's now disappointing that the county council doesn't believe we can continue in that vein." Members of the public and institutions can comment on the devolution proposals until this Sunday. The government in Westminster will have the final say. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Essex leaders want cut-down model of five councils Council shake-up sees elections delayed in nine areas Could three Essex councils become one? Essex County Council English Devolution White Paper
