Local Government Reorganisation (again)

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I make no apologies for another post about Devolution and Local Government Reform (LGR), this is the most significant change to local government in Essex since the nineteen seventies.

 

The LGR juggernaut rumbles on.

 

This week the various district councils, along with Essex County Council, delivered another letter to HM Government outlining their interim proposals for LGR.

 

The Government’s guidelines suggest an optimum size of around 500,000 residents for each Unitary Authority. Essex’s population is around 1.9 million (actually 1,877,301 according to the Office for National Statistics) so three or four unitary authorities seem likely. Some districts are pushing for five authorities, but the final decision will be made by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (formerly the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government).”
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And while some are sceptical that LGR will save money – it will take time for long term contracts to be realigned to the new authorities. – but it’s worth considering that the new unitary authorities will replace fifteen authorities.

 

That’s fifteen council chambers, fifteen Chief Executives, fifteen Chief Financial Officers, fifteen HR Directors and so on, along with around seven hundred councillors.

 

Although as I heard recently “You don’t become a councillor for the money or thanks”.

 

In the meantime, candidates for the new ‘Mayor of Essex’ will need to be identified, the election of the new Mayor is scheduled for May of next year.

 

The final number of authorities, along with how existing districts will be mapped into them, is expected in the autumn.

 

The timeline for Devolution and LGR is:

  • 21st March 2025: Submission of Interim Proposals Plan to the Government
  • 26th September 2025: Submission of the developed Unitary Authorities and implementation plans to Government
  • February 2026: Delivery of implementation plan and key stages/milestone
  • May 2026: Mayoral Elections
  • May 2027: Shadow Authority Elections
  • April 2028: Vesting Day (District and County Council cease to exist)

Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

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Essex Flag

Yesterday, the Deputy Prime Minister announced that Essex would be one of the County Councils in the first phase of the proposed Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).

The Government has stated their intention that all County Councils would undergo similar reorganisation during the life of this parliament.

As part of the first phase Essex should have more influence on how the future unitary councils would be structured. Later phases would have their reforms enforced.

The new structure would create (probably) three or four ‘unitary’ councils instead of the current fifteen district and county councils, plus a ‘Mayor of Essex’ to be elected in May ‘26.

The Mayor would be able to request funding directly from the government and bring huge benefits to infrastructure, jobs, skills, transport and planning.

The decision to postpone County Council elections was also made by HM Government. Had the elections continued, then councillors would be unable to take part in any discussions and negotiations due to the ‘pre-election’ legal restrictions.

The decision to seek early LGR was agreed by all Essex’s district and unitary councils; it wasn’t taken lightly, it was a question of seeking to get the best outcome for residents from the Government, rather than having their solution forced on us.

New campaign to SCRAP fly-tipping

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Essex councils unite to scrap fly tipping
County-wide campaign launched to reduce incidents and impact of fly-tipping.

Local councils are being supported by Essex County Council, the Environment Agency and the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner to jointly tackle fly-tipping.

Fly tipping is the illegal dumping of waste on land which doesn’t have a waste licence. This could include leaving items by a bin or outside a closed charity shop, recycling centre or donation bank.

Household waste has been found in over 60% of fly tips across the county in the past three years, costing Essex taxpayers around £1 million to clean up in 2022-23. Most reported fly-tips also occur on highways or council land.

A new campaign launched yesterday (28th January) will run for three months to equip residents with the knowledge and tools to dispose of household waste responsibly.

The participating councils will also work closely to increase visible enforcement and share intelligence across the county.

Councillor Peter Schwier, Chair of the Essex Waste Partnership and Cabinet Member for Environment, Waste Reduction and Recycling at Essex County Council, said: “We listened to residents’ concerns around fly tipping and committed to work closely with our partners, as set out in our Waste Strategy for Essex.

“Fly tipping is not only an eyesore – it’s harmful for the environment, endangers wildlife and costs Essex taxpayers millions of pounds to clean up.

“Through this campaign, we want to make it easier for you to get rid of waste, either with a council service or through a licenced waste collector​. Let’s work together to keep Essex clean.”

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Roger Hirst said: “Fly-tipping is a serious issue that blights our communities, harms our environment and poses risks to public health and safety. It is crucial that we work together in partnership to tackle this problem head-on.

“By collaborating with local authorities, community groups, and residents, we can raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of fly-tipping. Our joint efforts will help to create a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable environment for everyone in Essex.

“Together, we can make a significant impact and ensure that our county remains free from the blight of illegally dumped rubbish. Let’s all do our part to scrap fly-tipping once and for all.”

Essex residents can visit www.loveessex.org/flytipping to find out more about fly tipping and the new campaign.

Devolution (again)

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Further to last month’s post, at an extraordinary meeting of Essex County Council this morning (January 10th), the Council voted to write to the Secretary of State to request that Essex (along with Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk) be considered in the first tranche of new devolution projects.

The current (2025) map of Essex

The current (2025) map of Essex

This would involve the disbanding of the County Council, the two unitary authorities – Southend and Thurrock – and the county’s twelve borough, city and district councils.

It is expected that the result would be up to four new unitary authorities and an over-arching mayoral authority, headed by an elected ‘Mayor of Essex’.

This would be the biggest change to local government since the current system was created in the mid nineteen seventies.

If the Secretary of State agrees, then the negotiations would need to commence in March, which would normally be part of the ‘pre-election’ period for May’s County Council elections, so it may be that these will be postponed – initially for a year.

Happy New Year 2025

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This year could be a game-changer, with County Council elections scheduled for May 1st.
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Ballot Box
However, these may be delayed if the government’s plans for Local Government reform come forward.
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That’s not undemocratic, the cost and disruption that elections would create, would delay the reform process.
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The government’s White Paper on English devolution and Local Government reform – published in December – presents an exciting opportunity for Essex. It opens the door to greater local control, streamlined services, and the ability to shape decisions that reflect the unique needs of our communities.
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It represents the biggest change to the structure of local authorities since the early nineteen seventies.
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For too long, many decisions impacting Essex have been made in Westminster. Devolution could bring more power closer to the people, giving us the tools to drive real change – whether it’s improving infrastructure, boosting local businesses, or tackling issues like housing and transport.
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Of course, change comes with challenges. It’s important we ensure that local voices remain at the heart of any new system and that our communities don’t lose the close, responsive representation they rely on.
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The various District Councils around our County have already confirmed their support for the process, and Essex County Council will debate the proposal on Friday January 10th.
Residents will be able to view the debate on the County Council’s YouTube channel.
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If the County Council agrees, then the Leader of the Council will write to HM Government to express their interest in embracing the principles of devolution, and to postpone May’s elections.
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This is a chance to strengthen Essex for the future, and I’m optimistic about what we can achieve if we get it right.

Devolution

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Last week the Government published its long-awaited white paper on devolution and local government reform.
If the plans proceed as detailed, every area of England will have a directly elected mayor who will take on the responsibilities of Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioners, which are currently standalone positions.
Furthermore, District and county councils would be disbanded to make way for new unitary councils, which is already the case in many country areas.
Local leaders have until mid-January to submit proposals to the Government; previously, Essex has explored the creation of between three and five unitary councils.

Subject to the progress and speed with which these discussions take place, the Government has also said that the county council elections timetabled for May 2025 might be postponed to aid the transition to unitary councils and ensure fresh elections to these new authorities take place as quickly as possible.

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There’s a link to the Government white paper here.

Stock By-Election (again)

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Cllr. Gillian Bonnett and Cllr. Sue Dobson - elected!

Cllr. Gillian Bonnett and Cllr. Sue Dobson – elected!

Further to our recent post regarding the by-election that was called following the sad passing of Cllr. Ian Grundy, it’s pleasing to be able to report that Sue Dobson has been elected to represent the residents of Stock Division at Essex Council.

Even if it’s only for five months!

Once again, this by-election was really unnceccessary, called by Reform UK before Ian Grundy’s funeral had taken place.

Having worked with Sue Dobson at Chelmsford City Council, we’re confident that Sue will work hard to represent the residents of Stock Division.

In other news, as they say, Gillian Bennett was elected to serve the residents of South Hanningfield, Stock and Margaretting Ward at Chelmsford City Council until the next election, scheduled for 2027.

Stock By-Election

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Sue Dobson - image from Chelmsford City Council

Sue Dobson

While not directly a South Woodham Ferrers post, residents may be aware of the recent, untimely, death of Ian Grundy, who served as City and County Councillor for Stock.

One of the vagaries of the political landscape is that the Stock ‘division’ at Essex County Council is that it encompasses Margaretting, Rettendon, Runwell, Woodham Ferrers and Bicknacre.

There is an accepted tradition that by-elections are not called until after the funeral of the deceased councillor. There’s also a rule that by-elections are not called during the final six months before a major election.

The Reform Party – somewhat disrespectfully – called for by-elections on October 31st, the day before the 6 month rule would have cut in, and three weeks before Ian Grundy’s funeral. The elected County Councillor will serve for just five months before next May’s elections.

The by-election will be held on Thursday December 12th.

And of course, it is we residents who bear the cost of elections, officers to staff the polling stations and count votes.

As to the by-elections, the Conservative candidate for the County Council election is Sue Dobson who has served as a City Councillor for several years, and stepped up as Mayor after the sad passing of Cllr. John Galley. Sue has said that she accepts that she will only serve residents for five months, but that she’s standing in Ian Grundy’s Memory. The candidate for the City Council elections is Gillian Swain, a long-standing Stock Parish Councillor.

The Reform candidate has no record of serving residents on any other public body, has had his past business interests called into question by the Advertising Standards Authority and the Financial Services Authority. He is being supported in his campaign by an Epping Forest Councillor who was expelled from the Conservatives.

 

Clements Green Lane (again)

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Clements-Green-Lane
It’s taken longer than anyone would have wanted (tarmac surfaces on concrete roads require specialist equipment) but, after patching the A132 a couple of weeks ago, Essex Highways are now due to resurface Clements Green Lane in a couple of weeks.
Residents should report highways issues through the Essex County Council website here.
If the problems are severe, please notify me through my County Council email here, and I will seek to prioritise them.