Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

This page will be updated regularly as things progress.

Devolution

If our request is approved, powers and funding will be transferred from central government to local authority level. This will mean that:

• decisions will be made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect
• we will have greater freedoms and flexibilities for councils to work more effectively to improve public services and outcomes for residents and businesses

A devolution deal would create a new single body, known as a strategic authority, for Essex. It would initially take the form of a combined county authority.

Support for the Greater Essex Business Board (GEBB), including leading strategic business engagement, would be incorporated into the strategic authority. 

How this will affect you

For the vast majority of employees, nothing in terms of structures will change over the course of the next two years in relation to devolution or Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). If local authorities are reorganised, most employees would only see a change in employer. They would not have to apply for jobs in new councils.

We still need to offer excellent services to our residents. Devolution and LGR are about structures which will better enable this in the future. 

You can find out more about devolution and the timeline on essex.gov.uk.

May 2025 elections postponed

What we are working on now

We will begin work to meet the tight timescales set out by the government to understand what the White Paper means for Essex County Council and our partners.

On 16 December 2024, the government told the three council leaders in Greater Essex that if they wished to be part of the devolution priority programme, they must submit an expression of interest by 10 January. In Essex, this would be from Essex, Southend-on-Sea City and Thurrock councils. If we decide to do this and are successful there will be a series of future deadlines to provide further detail.

Local Government Reorganisation

Devolution is different from Local Government Reorganisation (LGR). LGR is the government’s long-term vision for simpler council structures, which make it clear who is responsible for services.

To help deliver these aims, the government will facilitate LGR in England for two-tier areas (for example, those with county and district councils) such as Essex.  

This would see all 15 councils in Essex (including ECC, Southend and Thurrock) replaced with a number of unitary authorities who are responsible for all local authority services in their area.   

While we can have LGR without devolution, the government is encouraging it to take place and suggests that in the longer term it will require both to happen. It has stated reorganisation should not delay devolution but local plans should be complementary, with devolution remaining the overarching priority. As a council, ECC has always been clear on its commitment to devolution and remains so. 

Essex local authorities have already commissioned work from consultants Grant Thornton to refresh the evidence base developed in 2020, covering things such as the demographics and finances of the existing councils, so any new proposals take into account a range of different factors. 

You can find out more about Local Government Reorganisation on essex.gov.uk.

Whole Council Transformation

Plans for the Whole Council Transformation (WCT) will still continue. Whatever happens as far as devolution or LGR is concerned, we still need to transform the council to be more productive and efficient and make the best use of all our resources. WCT will help us do this regardless of devolution or LGR. Other key pieces of work will also continue.