Improvement

Also in this section:

Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

The government’s long-term vision is for simpler council structures, which make it clear who is responsible for services.

At present, across the Greater Essex area, services are split between the County Council, and one of 12 city, borough or district council in a ‘two-tier’ arrangement.

The government believes reorganising and simplifying councils can drive economic growth while delivering better public services.

Reorganisation would see all 15 councils in Essex – including Thurrock Council, Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council, replaced with a number of all-purpose ‘unitary’ authorities who are responsible for all local authority services in their area.

What does LGR look like?

All 15 councils in Essex would be replaced with a number of unitary councils.

The white paper has stipulated the government thinks the optimum size for new unitary councils to be at least 500,000 people. However, there may be some flexibility on this, and each case will be considered on its own merits.

Greater Essex has a population of around 1.9 million, meaning – based on the maths - the most likely number is three or four unitary councils.

Do we have to reorganise, or is it voluntary?

Reorganisation isn’t mandatory but the White Paper sets out the case for it and invites places to come forward with proposals.

When can we expect this to take place? 

As far as LGR is concerned, we have also committed to reorganisation. We would have to submit interim plans in March 2025 followed by full plans in the autumn. Timelines for the remainder of the LGR process are subject to the proposals received. However, elections to shadow authorities could be expected in May 2027 following the 2026 consultation, with new unitaries going live in April 2028.

What is the difference between Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation?

Devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from UK government to local government. Local Government Reorganisation is about how local government powers and funding are organised between councils.