7 March 2025 With
Essex now in the government’s Priority Programme for devolution
(background on our website), the Government has launched a public
consultation on the changes.
It includes questions on the
proposed geography and how the Combined County Authority will make
decisions, together with questions on the effects of working across
this geography through a Mayoral Combined County Authority, and
specifically asks about:
The proposed geography
Governance arrangements
Supporting the economy
Improving social outcomes
Improving local government services
Improving the local natural environment
Supporting the interests and needs of local communities and reflect local identities
The
District Council has said that this consultation is not about the Local
Government reorganisation of the district and other district and
borough councils into unitary authorities. That process will take place
separately and subsequently.
14 February 2025
As
expected, the Government has agreed to the County Council's request to
include Essex in the government’s Priority Programme for devolution. The Order postponing the election has now
been laid before Parliament (SI 2025/137).
The
immediate impact is that County elections planned for May 2025 and
possibly 2026 will be set aside. Existing Cllrs will remain in place in
their existing county divisions and district wards until new elections
are held (with the boundary changes that created two County Council
divisions to cover Loughton from May 2025 being put on hold).
The
councils will now begin working with each other and the Government as
part of the programme. There will be an enormous amount of planning and
work required over the next 2-3 years to get the new structures and
organisations in place.
The key
change is the creation of unitary authorities to cover perhaps about
500,000 people each, replacing existing district and county councils.
This would mean that Epping Forest District Council and Essex County
Council would cease to exist. Essex would then be served by
between two and five 'unitary authorities' that cover a yet to be
determined area of Essex.
There
would also be a Combined County Authority covering all of Essex with an
elected Mayor. The Mayor would also take on the responsibilities of the
existing Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
The County Council discussed this at a council meeting on 10 January (the full briefing is here), and has now written to the government to request inclusion on the government’s Priority Programme. More
If
the government agrees (which appears likely), details of how the new
structure would operate and how the transition from old to new would be
worked out. The immediate impact would be that County elections
planned for May 2025 and possibly 2026 would be set aside. Existing
Cllrs would remain in place in their existing county divisions and
district wards until new elections are held (with the boundary changes
that created two county council divisions to cover Loughton from May
2025 being put on hold). Postponement has generally been a
feature when local government reorganisation is taking place, as it
was, for example with abolition of the Greater London Council
(1985) and the abolition of Buckinghamshire County Council (2021)
For
Loughton, the existing Town Council would continue. The proposal only
briefly mentions parish and town councils with 'we will also rewire the
relationship between town and parish councils and principal Local
Authorities, strengthening expectations on engagement and community
voice' however what this means in practice remains to be seen.
The
existing Epping Forest District Council would be folded into a much
larger unitary authority, presumably combined with nearby areas. The
District Council currently serves around 135,000 people, so the new
authority would be much larger though the number of Cllrs would
undoubtedly be reduced.
Much
detail remains unknown, including any changes to how the new bodies
will be funded; a reorganisation could result in saving money, however
this would be insignificant compared to the well-known scale of
underfunding for local government.
LRA
thinks there is also a risk of a democratic deficit with larger unitary
authorities not being responsive to local needs, especially around
approving local developments and planning applications.
