Leader backs splitting county into three councils

A local authority leader has said splitting a county into three new unitary authorities would be the best approach to keep tax costs low.

Kevin Bentley, the Conservative leader of Essex County Council, said dividing the county into three authorities would balance maintaining services with saving money.

Councils in Basildon, Brentwood, Castle Point, Chelmsford, Colchester, Maldon, Southend, and Uttlesford favour a five-authority solution, a plan which is now out for public consultation.

The proposals follow the government's request that authorities in Essex find ways to reduce the number of councils and replace them with bigger unitary councils.

Greater Essex currently comprises 15 councils that serve nearly 1.9 million residents.

As part of the government's devolution agenda to streamline local governance, the 15 councils will be replaced in the next three years by a smaller number of unitary authorities which would deliver all local services independently - except those managed by town and parish councils, which will remain unaffected.

Southend-on-Sea City Council and Thurrock Council already operate as unitary authorities.

The rest of Essex follows a two-tier system, with district councils focusing on local services - such as waste collection, street cleaning and leisure facilities - and Essex County Council providing wider services, such as adult social care and special educational needs provision.

Stephen Robinson, Liberal Democrat leader of Chelmsford City Council, said: "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."

Bentley said: "In an ideal world, we might be able to consider higher numbers of new unitary councils, as some councils in Essex are."

He claimed that adopting the five-authority model "would mean less money for services, or rises in council taxes" and the smaller authorities "won't have the financial resilience and the ability to absorb 'shocks' to the system like spikes in inflation or energy price increases".

He added: "We have to live within our means and within constrained funding for public services."

Daniel Cowan, Labour leader of Southend on Sea City Council and chairman of the five councils' group, said five unitary authorities would be "stronger, more resilient councils that still feel rooted in the communities they serve".

Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council, added: "It's time to take back control of our borough - making decisions for - Basildon and providing services for our residents."

This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.

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