Councils in Essex are changing

Major changes are planned to councils across Greater Essex as part of the largest reorganisation of local government in over 50 years.

Devolution and Local Government Reorganisation (LGR)

Braintree District Council is reviewing its Local Plan, a key planning document that is used to shape, plan and manage future growth and development across the district.

This includes:

• the location, amount and type of housing is delivered
• which land can be used to provide employment and land that should be protected
• what services and infrastructure are needed and where

Why are we reviewing it?

They are different things, but the Government’s plans set out how these can work together to improve public services.

Devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from national government to local areas. For Essex this will be through a new Mayoral Combined County Authority. Essex County, Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea Councils will become members of a new Mayoral Combined County Authority covering the county, which will have new powers and funding that the current councils in Essex don’t have. A new Mayor of Greater Essex will be elected in May 2026 who, working with the Combined County Authority, will oversee decisions on transport, jobs, housing, education, healthcare and the environment.

Alongside this, Local Government Reorganisation is happening which aims to simplify and reduce the number of councils covering Essex and create a smaller number of larger, unitary councils.

This means that from April 2028, you’ll have one, larger council that will replace a number of existing councils, which will manage most of your local services.

Reorganisation will simplify local government in Essex and make it easier for everyone to understand who is delivering their services, with fewer points of contact and reduced confusion about which council does what. It could also mean more efficient services and give stronger strategic and local leadership.

What is happening now?

Right now, Essex councils are developing various different proposals about how LGR could work. This includes several potential models which could see three or four or five unitary councils replacing the current fifteen councils in Essex.

The final proposals will be submitted to government this month for them to make the final decision. At this stage, there is no confirmation of how many councils there will be in the future.

How does this impact me?

For now, nothing has changed. Services will continue to be delivered as normal, and our priority remains delivering our services to the highest standard possible. It is expected that the new unitary authorities will take over from April 2028.

Making every pound count

Our budget has been balanced for 2025/26 and the Braintree District is in a better position than most, but even cautious councils are feeling the pinch. Costs have continued to rise over recent years from inflation and increased demand for council services which cannot be met just from increases in the council’s share of council tax paid by residents.

Costs have continued to rise over recent years as inflation pushes up prices and demands on our services increase. These increases are outpacing the rate at which our funding has grown so we need to find a way to protect the delivery of services.

With local government reorganisation on the horizon, where Braintree District Council will merge into a bigger unitary authority, we will continue to do all we can to deliver the best local services for residents and ensure the council is financially resilient and future proofed.

Budget Highlights

• We are investing £1.5 million to modernise community assets at Silver End Village Hall, Witham Public Hall, Marks Farm Community Centre and Halstead Leisure Centre.
• Opened a new 3G football pitch at Witham Sports Ground (two more also completed at Notley High School in Braintree and New Rickstones Academy in Witham, and Alec Hunter Academy coming soon).
• Building the new community centre in Witham.
• Continue to address rising pressures on the availability of temporary housing accommodation.
• Issued over £210,000 to support residents most affected by the cost-of-living crisis so far this year.
• Planned play area refurbishments coming soon at Spa Road and Rickstones Road in Witham, Beckers Green in Braintree and Kings Road in Halstead.
• Investment into pride in place with extra funding for litter and dog bins, A120 cleaning, and a new rapid response team to help keep the district clean and tidy.
• 21 organisations supported through the Councillors Community Grants scheme, distributing over £15,000 worth of funding for community projects.
• Investment to meet new waste and recycling collection legislation from 2026.

Find out more about our budget and where your council tax goes.

Help with heating this winter

As we head into autumn, many of us will be worrying about the cost of heating our homes during the colder months.

A cold, damp home can lead to health problems, especially in older and younger people or those with existing health conditions like asthma.

But rising energy costs and inefficient homes can make heating expensive.

There is help available in the Braintree District.

Heat Essex

Heat Essex, in partnership with Essex County Council and Warm Homes Essex, can help make your home warmer and more comfortable. Housing Association tenants are not eligible for the grant funding.

Support includes:

• Retrofit assessment (subject to eligibility).
• Simple steps, hints and tips to lower your energy bills.
• Recommendations on your own home and grant eligibility.

Visit the Heat Essex website to find out more about what support Heat Essex may be able to offer you, or by calling 01206 326808.

Connected for Warmth

You could be eligible for a FREE air source heat pump, if your home is:

• is NOT heated by gas
• is owner occupied or owned by a private landlord (not a housing association)
• has an Energy Performance Certificate rating of D and below if you are an owner occupier, or E if you are a private tenant
• other qualifying criteria is applicable
• The scheme is delivered by Agility Eco, for further information and to check your eligibility, please visit the connected for warmth website or call 0800 029 454

Warm Homes: Local Grant

Owner occupiers and private tenants could get free energy saving improvements if on a low income, getting certain benefits or living in a certain postcode area.

Measures include:

• wall, loft and underfloor insulation.
• heating upgrades, e.g air source heat pumps and high retention storage heaters.
• solar PV panels.

Eligibility

To be eligible, your home must:

• be privately owned (either by you or a landlord, not owned by a Housing Association). The landlord will need to pay for some of the improvements (homeowners do not).
• have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D, E, F or G – if you do not know your home’s EPC rating, you can find out when you apply.

Your total gross household income must be £36,000 a year or less. If you earn more than that, you might still be eligible if:

• you live in a certain postcode area.
• someone in your household is receiving certain benefits.
• someone in your household is vulnerable to the effects of living in a cold home.
• you have a child receiving free school meals.

For more information please email the energy advice team or call 01376 552 525 and ask for the Energy Efficiency Team.

Recycle more from your door

From 1 June 2026, your kerbside waste and recycling collections will be changing, making it easier for you to recycle more from your door, including glass. We are also moving from clear sacks to bins in most cases and changing the frequency of your collections.

From June, most residents will have:

• A weekly food waste collection
• A four-weekly collection of paper and card
• A four-weekly collection of glass, metal, plastic and food and drink cartons
• A three-weekly collection of general waste
• A fortnightly paid for collection of garden waste if you choose to subscribe

Why are we changing

In May 2025, our cabinet made the decision based on the results of a residents’ consultation, wide-ranging evidence and research and new government legislation.

• New simpler recycling legislation: from 2026 councils will have to collect glass and good and drink cartons at kerbside. We will be collecting soft plastics one year ahead of the legislation.
• Recycling targets: the government has set a target that by 2035, 65% of household waste should be recycled.
• Reduce the cost of waste collection and disposal: taking into account the new legislation, the new system is the most cost effective way to collect and dispose of your waste.

Your new collections explained

1. Food bin collection every week
2. Garden bin every 2 weeks (by subscription only)
3. Grey bin every 3 weeks
4. Recycling every 4 weeks (alternating fortnightly)

…recycle more from your door.

What goes where from June…

Food bin

• Cereal and grains
• Breads and pastries
• Cooked and raw fish and meat
• Eggs and dairy (including egg shells)
• Rice and pasta
• Tea bags and coffee grounds
• Out of date food
• Fruit and vegetables
• Bones

Green bin

• Flowers
• Plants
• Grass cuttings
• Shrub/hedge clippings
• Leaves
• Weeds (not invasive plants like Japanese Knotweed)
• Twigs/branches
• Straw or animal bedding

Red-lidded bin

• Paper
• Newspaper
• Cardboard
• Junk mail
• Magazines
• Catalogues
• Telephone directories

Blue-lidded bin

• Glass bottles and jars
• Tins and cans
• Plastic bottles
• Tubs
• Yogurt pots
• Trays
• Film
• Plastic bags
• Food and drink cartons

Grey bin

• All household waste (rubbish) that cannot be recycled.
• Cat litter
• Incontinence pads
• Nappies

We will be offering a special free collection for Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHPs). These will be collected 6 times within an 8 week period.

What’s new in your recycling collections

Glass bottles and jars

This will make glass recycling much easier for many residents. Put all your glass recycling into your blue lidded bin for a four-weekly collection. Rinse it clean and keep the lids on so that they can be recycled.

Glass is one of the most recyclable materials and can be re-used again and again.

Soft plastics

Film lids, single use carrier bags, sweet wrapping… all this plastic will be collected from your blue-lidded bin every four weeks.

You may be surprised how much space this frees up in your grey bin, if you were previously throwing it away.

Food and drink cartons

From June, all these bulky cartons can be collected in your blue-lidded recycling bin. This includes Tetra Pak, fruit juice cartons, some milk or milk substitute drinks, crisps tubes and tubs made from cardboard, metal and plastic such as gravy granules or hot chocolate tubs.

From June, there isn’t much that we can’t collect for recycling, whether that’s in our kerbside collections or at the district’s bring banks. When you make full use of recycling collections, you should be left with very little in your grey bin.

Your questions answered

Q: How will I fit everything into my grey bin with a three-weekly collection?

A: Our research shows that on average, 50% of waste in grey bins could be recycled in kerbside collections from June 2026. If you are using all your recycling services, you should have plenty of space in your grey bin to last the three weeks in between collections.

Q: What can I do if I do not have space to store two extra bins on my property?

A: Every household will receive a letter by the end of this autumn, letting you know whether your property has been assessed as requiring a non-standard collection. The letter will provide details of how we made the decision and what arrangements we will make if you have been assessed as non-standard.

The letter will provide details on where you can view our assessment, the criteria used and the recycling containers we will be providing. Where required, you’ll be able to ask for a review of that decision.

Q: The new system looks complicated! Will you be helping us to understand it?

A: Of course. We know that change can be hard, so we will be delivering a printed calendar to every household for the first year of the new system. Every household will receive more information next year, ahead of the changes. We will also be communicating regularly with residents via our social media channels, e-newsletters and local newspapers, providing advice and information that should help everyone adapt.

Q: I use my grey bin for nappies and incontinence pads and cannot wait three weeks between collections. What will you do about that?

A: We will be offering a special free collection for Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHPs) to eligible households. Residents using these products will be ableto apply for this service, which will provide 6 collections within an 8-week period. We will be publishing details of how to apply later in the year. Sign up to our newsletters below to stay updated.

Q: Will you collect excess waste?

A: No, our policy on excess waste will remain as it is now: waste must be containedwithin the bin, with the lid closed. No excess waste will be collected. If residents use all the recycling services we provide, there should be enough capacity in grey bins.

Q: What do I need to do next?

A: Keep using your bins as normal and stay up to date using our social media, the local papers, our website and your post, as we will be writing to all households this autumn.

Boost your practical skills with fully funded courses

Are you looking for a new career direction? Would you like to learn new practical skills in a flexible, relaxed way?

Our Green Skills Programme, delivered by ACL Essex, could be perfect for you: free, flexible courses to train you in many aspects of retrofitting.

Retrofitting is the practice of upgrading existing homes to make them warmer, greener and more energy efficient.

Study with ACL and you will have access to:

• Fully funded learning, free to anyone living or working in the Braintree District
• A choice of nationally recognised qualifications, from Entry Level 3 Award in Energy Efficiency and Sustainability through to a Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Management.
• Online learning, which you can fit around your life (with some classroom learning).
• Remote support from experienced tutors.

These could lead to flexible work which can suit a range of circumstances and abilities – it’s not just for the construction industry! You could go into a career assessing properties for their EPC rating, surveying for energy saving measures or overseeing larger retrofit projects.

Ian has recently completed his level 2 award in Understanding Domestic Retrofit and has now progressed onto his next ACL course, training to be a Domestic Energy Assessor. Ian said:

I was looking for something new. I recently bought a property that needs work, so now I am gaining the skills to do that work myself and sell it on. The course has been great – the classrooms are relaxed and the tutors are really supportive.

David is one of the ACL tutors. He added:

We have had several people go on to get jobs with large companies after doing our courses, so we know that they are effective. The programme is for everyone – whether you are a complete beginner or a seasoned professional, there is something for you. For anyone worried about going back into the classroom, it really is nothing like school – it is a very friendly environment.

Building for the future: What the local plan means for you

Braintree is a fantastic district and has gone through many changes over the last 20 years. The district continues to evolve, and it needs to be a place ready to meet the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century.

The Local Plan is an important long-term planning document about what can be built, where, how, and why through to 2041.

The plan is not just about new housing, but also transport, the environment, jobs, schools, healthcare and community facilities.

Our housing target is 1,149 new homes per year up to 2041, which is set by central government and is mandatory. Targets are set by looking at population growth, housing affordability and existing housing stock.

Councils must plan for the full target through updating their Local Plan, to show where these homes could be built and allocate land to meet the target, or risk the Local Plan being rejected.

If we don’t meet the target or do not have an up-to-date Local Plan, the district is at risk of development outside of preferred locations, and poor-quality, speculative development. In the worst case, the government could step in and write the plan for the local area.

Infrastructure & the role of the Local Plan

With more homes comes the need for new or improved infrastructure such as roads, community facilities, play areas, and healthcare.

Even though the Local Plan says what infrastructure is needed and the council receives money from developers to help pay for making any improvements, the council isn’t always the one who builds it or responsible to spend the money when it comes in.

Essex County Council deliver new roads or schools, and the NHS might plan new health centres. We work with organisations like these to find out what additional facilities may be required as a result of new development.

The council’s role is to plan, guide, and manage development.

We want the Braintree district to continue to be a great place to live and work by making sure that major developments will last for a long time and there are more jobs, infrastructure, shops and businesses that everyone can benefit from.

Councillor Community Grant

Our Councillor Community Grant Scheme provides funding to groups and organisations to support local projects and initiatives that benefit the people of the Braintree District.

Each ward Councillor has a maximum of £1,250 to give to local organisations each year. Ward councillors can pool their budgets to joint fund projects that benefit their ward.

One of the organisations helped by the grant scheme is Great Yeldham Men’s Shed, which has been operating since 2023. Men’s Sheds were originally set up as a meeting place for retired men to tackle social isolation and loneliness as well as mental health.

The shed provides a place to come and meet other men in the community, enjoy a cuppa and a chat, learn a new skill and keep busy. The members of Great Yeldham Men’s Shed say it has provided a lifeline for many of those who attend.

They received a Councillor Community Grant of £300 from Cllr Richard van Dulken in July last year to hire a mini digger to improve the site in front of the shed and provide areas for planting.

To find out more and apply for a grant, speak to your local ward councillor or visit our website

Cost of Living

During 24/25, the Cost of Living Fund has enabled over 25,000 moments of support for residents, including repeat visits to key services.

• 57 boxing sessions
• 245 Kinetix sessions
• 117 Witham Majorettes memberships
• 52 beneficiaries of HomeStart support
• 680 free admissions to Braintree District Museum
• 105 food vouchers distributed from Women of Grace
• 11,478 players involved in the Beat the Street scheme
• 7,691 visits to First Stop’s Community Fridge
• 100 emergency weekend food bags provided by RCCG Fountain of Life
• 81 shoppers to the White Colne Social Supermarket
• 53 attendances to cooking lessons
• 44 over 60s supported by Agewell East
• 600 electric blankets supplied

Visit our cost of living page if you need help or advice.

Growing wellbeing – the Braintree Community Garden project

The Braintree Community Garden, located at the recreational ground on John Ray Street, is a therapeutic green space designed to support adults with complex needs, particularly those facing mental health challenges.

Developed with funding from Essex County Council’s Changing Futures Programme, the garden was created in collaboration with Braintree Recreation CIO and The Wilderness Foundation UK.

It aims to provide a nurturing environment where individuals can find empowerment and healing through gardening and community engagement.

The Wilderness Foundation hosts weekly gardening sessions at the site, funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. This provides vulnerable adults the opportunity to participate in horticultural activities that help their mental and physical wellbeing.

Participants can be referred by professionals or self-refer via the Wilderness Foundation’s website. The sessions are inclusive, welcoming individuals with a range of abilities, including those with disabilities or long-term health conditions.

You can find out more on www.wildernessfoundation.org.uk