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