ESSEX County Council has backed a model proposing splitting the county into three.
Other local councils had developed different proposals based on four and five unitary councils as part of plans to entirely change the structure of local government in Greater Essex, which will see all the county’s current councils scrapped and new borders and regions drawn up.
The proposal was debated by the council’s Cabinet and all Essex County Council members during extraordinary meetings held on Thursday (September 18).
The council will now submit the proposal to the government in line with its 26 September deadline.
Leader of the council, Councillor Kevin Bentley, said the approval of the proposal marked “a moment in history”.
He rejected the plans, which watered down local representation and were intended to gerrymander in favour of Tory majority councils.
He said: “Can I say to those who say we have constructed this from a conservative point of view, I can tell you truthfully with my hand on my heart that I and my colleagues in the cabinet, or indeed the group, have ever sat down, what does this mean for the Conservative Party.
“What we have said and started with what does it mean for the residents and the people.
He added: “The reality is financials are the most important thing
“Other things are important, localism is important, but if you don’t have the money to run the council, you can’t exist as a council. That is why the five doesn’t work.
“In terms of the unitaries being too big, I think of recent unitarisation, we think of North Yorkshire, Cornwall, Buckinghamshire. These are county-sized units that work very well.”
Currently, there are four formal business cases being worked on across Greater Essex, which propose splitting the county into either three unitary councils, five unitary councils or four unitary councils, of which there are two options.
The county council has previously confirmed it believes a three-unitary model—one each based in north, mid, and south Essex—is the best structure and configuration for Greater Essex. These three councils would replace the existing 15 councils and the two-tier structure.
Councillor Bentley added at Full Council: “This is a momentous day in the life of Essex County Council, what remains in the life of Essex County Council, all the district councils as we know them and unitary councils in Essex.
“It’s no secret I have been a long proponent of Local Government Reorganisation, and indeed introducing a mayor.
“I personally believe, and know many people in this room believe, that this is the best future for the residents of Essex, the way we run local government and the way we secure funding and investment in the future.”
The council says the three-unitary model will best balance how to reflect existing communities while providing the most economic benefits from scale and efficiency. Those backing the case for five new councils – including Chelmsford City Council and Brentwood Borough Council- say there is strong evidence that unitaries of this size deliver much better outcomes than bigger ones in areas like social care, especially as a result of being able to access local markets.
He added: ” A one-council unitary would be brilliant. That would be fantastic. You can’t have a council with two million people in it; that would be too big. Two would be a good model, but it’s too big again.”
Lib Dem councillor Barry Aspinell accused the Tories of gerrymandering.
He said: “The argument for three is purely party political. It’s about what you believe you will get: the best party representation going forward, nothing about your local residents whatsoever.
“I haven’t heard anything coming out about how you will better represent your people. And that is why I’m voting for five.”
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