'Just right' option proposed for five councils in Essex

‘Goldilocks’ plan for local government to stay local

Local councils across Essex, including Chelmsford, are set to debate a widely supported, ‘just right’ proposal for their own mergers.

The Government has required councils to submit local government reorganisation proposals by 26 September 2025 that would abolish the current 15 councils on 1 April 2028.

The ‘five unitary’ proposal, backed by the majority of Essex councils, sets out a future in which Essex has five local authorities. This option has been developed in partnership with nine other councils, with strong support from a significant number of Essex MPs.

Its merits include:

• delivering short- and long-term savings (more than any other proposal) and better council services

• strong, local representation for residents

• keeping a sense of local identities within Essex

Under the five-unitary model, Chelmsford would join up with neighbouring Maldon and Brentwood to form a new Mid Essex Council. There are other proposals, such as the three-unitary model being proposed by Essex County Council, which would place Chelmsford in a much bigger new area.

Proposal sought public views

In addition to being supported by most Essex local authorities, the five-unitary proposal is supported by a public consultation asking people across Greater Essex what they thought of it in comparison to the way the area is governed now. More than 7,300 responses were received. Overall, the consultation showed the majority prefer the status quo, but when change is considered, five councils is seen as the only viable option.

Final report includes evidence from respected consultants

The document, which is to be submitted to the Government, details how such a merger could affect the area’s finances, services and more. Based on evidence commissioned from respected accountancy firm Grant Thornton, consultants Peopletoo, the Social Care Institute for Excellence and others, it sets out how the model fits the Government’s criteria and benefits Greater Essex.

Cllr Daniel Cowan, Chair of the five-unitary group and Leader of Southend-on-Sea City Council said:

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“Since the Devolution White Paper made it clear that Essex must reorganise, I have advocated for keeping local government local. I remain firmly committed to the case for five councils – as do a number of my colleagues, and we’ve seen strong support from other councils and MPs.

“This ‘Goldilocks’ model offers the ‘just right’ sized council to help protect local services against a small number of mega councils, while delivering real public sector reform and a more sustainable, modern local government.

“The proposal follows a county-wide consultation that drew over 7,300 responses, with many residents prioritising local service delivery, accountability, and civic identity. While the majority of respondents preferred the status quo, when change was considered, the five council model was seen as the only viable option, with fewer than 20 respondents preferring three megacouncils.”

Cllr Daniel Cowan, Leader, Southend-on-Sea City Council

Cllr Stephen Robinson, Deputy Chair of the five-unitary group and Leader of Chelmsford City Council said:

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“From our consultation, it’s really clear that people are worried about local government becoming less local. Streamlining Greater Essex into five unitary authorities, as opposed to creating bigger and unwieldy councils, is the best option on the table. It ensures that we can make the savings that are needed but also keep our local identities and ensure everyone is represented democratically.

“Many people are concerned about the costs and disruption from reorganisation. We will be working hard to make the process as smooth as possible and set up brand-new councils that link services together better. There are real opportunities to improve how services are delivered for residents and reduce confusion about who is responsible for what.”

Cllr Stephen Robinson, Leader, Chelmsford City Council

Retaining local identities

The five new councils proposed are centred around existing communities. Each contains a major town or city at its heart and combines districts which are already linked.

Chelmsford, Brentwood and Maldon are connected by similar green landscapes, shared infrastructure, employment and services already shared between the councils, as well as existing health services. Mapping shows that Chelmsford is the top workplace for people in Maldon, while Chelmsford residents regularly visit Maldon and Brentwood. The case for this new council and the other four is set out fully in the proposal document.

Better, cheaper local services

The case for five new councils contains strong evidence from comprehensive research 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. Large authorities often rely on major contracts, which can give bigger companies a monopoly and cut smaller players and local charities out. Merging Essex councils into five unitaries enables quicker decisions and local partnerships.

Reorganising local government is partly about saving costs, and the proposal sets out how total net savings of £104 million per year could be shared across all five areas.

Strong democratic representation

Under the five-unitary system, Greater Essex would have 434 councillors, which means one to every 3,000 residents. This is down from the 696 councillors across the area currently. Another proposal, the three-unitary system, is likely to provide fewer councillors across Greater Essex, with each elected council member representing more people and with higher caseloads.

Next steps

The proposal will be considered by Chelmsford City Council’s Cabinet on 10 September and during September by the other councils supporting it, before it is submitted to the Government by 26 September. Some councils are still to decide which LGR proposal to back. A decision on the future structure of Essex is anticipated to be made in early 2026, and any changes would start to be implemented in 2027 at the earliest.

Read the full proposal on the Essex LGR Hub at https://www.essexlgrhub.org/proposals