Chelmsford City Council backs plan to explore 5 new unitary councils

Chelmsford City Council believes a plan for five new unitary councils is the best option for residents as part of early proposals to respond to the Government’s aim of reorganising the county’s local authorities.

A joint initial response on what future Essex councils could look like has now been sent to the Government on behalf of all Essex Leaders and Chief Executives. Essex and other two-tier council areas were invited to submit interim plans by 21 March on how they might merge into fewer, unitary councils as part of local government reorganisation (LGR).

Although this first pass shows early thinking rather than firm recommendations, two positions have emerged. Of the fifteen existing Essex councils, ten local authorities (including Chelmsford) want to develop a business case for five new unitary councils. The other five authorities have yet to decide on their favoured position. This means two or more options may be developed and presented when the full submission to the Local Government Minister is made in September.

At this ‘temperature check’ stage, Chelmsford believes five unitary councils is the optimum new number, delivering bigger but recognisable council areas that residents can still identify with. If this proposal is eventually chosen by the Government, it would most likely see Chelmsford merging with two neighbouring districts.

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“We think that serving Chelmsford and our neighbouring communities is best done by councils who understand local issues and remain as close as possible to their residents. There are nearly 2 million people in Greater Essex and having too few councils could leave us with some of the biggest local authorities in England, not far behind places like Birmingham.

“Having larger local authority areas than we do now could bring exciting opportunities, but there is a real balancing act in ensuring that people feel a connection with local services and that the councils representing them make sense. That’s why we are joining nine other Essex councils in recommending five new unitary authorities and over the coming months we, and others, will be making a case for this vision of Essex.”

Cllr Stephen Robinson, Leader, Chelmsford City Council

Proposals part of Government plans to simplify local government

At the end of last year, the Government published a white paper announcing its intention to simplify local government structures and transfer some powers and funding from national government to local authority level. To achieve this, Essex, is expected to deliver local government reorganisation alongside a separate process of devolution. 

The Government has indicated that it wants to move away from the two-tier system of district and county councils across England, and in Essex, this means the 15 existing councils at this level (including Thurrock and Southend) will be abolished. In their place, new unitary authorities will be created, delivering most key services to residents, including, schools and learning, waste and recycling, adult social care, highways, and parks and green spaces. Existing Essex authorities will hand over their functions to the new unitary authorities on 1 April 2028.

Work to do before final September submission

Over the coming months, officers will work on detailed proposals to meet the Government’s next deadline of 26 September. Essex is one of the most complex areas to undertake reorganisation, with many different upper and lower-tier authorities, and councils will have to consider a broad range of evidence to ensure any submissions are credible and workable.

Although issues like geography, population size and confidence in local democracy will play a significant role in determining the final number of unitary councils, there are many more factors to consider. These include the spiralling cost of services like special educational needs provision, adult social care and the cost of temporary accommodation for homeless residents.

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“Size does matter, of course, but having effective local authorities, well prepared to tackle the many challenges ahead, is just as important. Chelmsford was recently found to be a very well-run council with a ‘highly passionate’ workforce by an LGA Corporate Peer Challenge and we must ensure we keep all the best bits of our current system as we plan for the changes of the future.

"Every Essex council, whatever their position on reorganisation, cares about the people who live and work here and I know we will all do everything we can to find the best outcome for the people we serve.”

Nick Eveleigh, Chief Executive, Chelmsford City Council

Next steps for reorganisation

Once final proposals are submitted the Government will decide on the new unitary arrangements for Essex and elections to the new ‘shadow’ unitary councils will take place in May 2027.

You can find out more about local government reorganisation on our website: https://www.chelmsford.gov.uk/your-council/devolution-and-local-government-reorganisation/