Local Government Reorganisation
Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) are different.
Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) simplifies and reduces the number of councils across the country. The Government have set out plans to move away from the current two-tier system of district and county councils in England and believes reorganising and simplifying councils can help grow the economy while delivering better public services.
This means all 15 councils in Essex would be replaced with a number of larger unitary councils. These new councils will be responsible for providing all local government services in their areas. The change will not affect police and fire and rescue services, NHS services or the work of very local Town and Parish councils.
At present, there are 15 councils in the Essex area:
- Essex County Council
- Southend-on-Sea City Council, a unitary council
- Thurrock Council, a unitary council
- 12 city, borough and district councils, which are currently in a 'two-tier' arrangement with Essex County Council.
Reorganisation would restructure the 15 councils into a smaller number of unitary authorities. These would be responsible for all local services in their area.
Read the latest FAQ:
Local Government Association (LGA) Devolution Hub
Visit the LGA Devolution Hub to find further information and resources. This includes a list of regularly updated devolution and local government reorganisation FAQs.
What is the council doing now?
The initial interim proposals for LGR were submitted to Government in March. Feedback has been provided by government on these interim proposals which you can read here.
At this stage, there is no confirmation of how many councils there will be in the future. It will be for the Government to decide on the final future council structures in Greater Essex.
Along with partners, we will be gathering evidence to inform the final business cases. These will be shared with government in September.
During the process our focus remains on delivering essential services across the whole of the Braintree district.
Read the interim plan for local government reorganisation in Greater Essex.
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