Ten Council Leaders in Essex, have demonstrated their firm and joint, public support for the creation of five new unitary authorities across Greater Essex to replace the current 15 councils.
The five unitary authorities model:
- is locally rooted, preserving community identity, and service delivery
- has been developed with strong support from a number of MPs
- is the only proposal with support of from all the political parties that lead Councils across Essex
- public consultation shows the majority prefer the status quo, but when change is considered, five councils is the best fit
- according to audited figures, saves over £100m per year, compared to just £25m for three unitary authorities
In a joint open letter, all ten Leaders state that "The people of Essex deserve councils that are local, accountable, and responsive." They also go on to state that "Reorganisation should promote growth by respecting the geography of this hugely diverse county and by bringing government closer to residents, not further away."
Cllr Daniel Cowan, Leader of Southend-on-Sea City Council and Chair of the 5UA group of councils, said:
"Since the Devolution White Paper made it clear that Essex must reorganise, I have advocated for keeping local government local. This is the only credible way forward for Essex and I'm glad to see a majority of councils and a number of MPs are showing their support for this.
"The five councils will help protect local services against a small number of mega councils, while delivering real public sector reform, and delivers more savings than the alternatives."
Cllr Stephen Robinson, Deputy Chair of the five council group and Leader of Chelmsford City Council said:
"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 have made clear in this joint letter, that not only do the majority of Essex councils support this proposal but we will all work together across Greater Essex, whatever the final outcome from Government."