Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation

Devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from central government to local authority level.

Decisions will be made closer to the local people, communities and businesses they affect. It will provide greater freedoms and flexibilities for councils to work more effectively to improve public services and outcomes for residents and businesses.

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

The government has confirmed that:

• Essex County Council (ECC), Southend-on-Sea City Council and Thurrock Council will be part of its Devolution Priority Programme
• the elections scheduled for May 2025 for ECC and Thurrock Council will be suspended for an initial period of a year

If proposals to reorganise local authorities are agreed, it is likely that there will be no further elections to ECC until its abolition, other than by-elections

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