Secret Labour 'plans' to change Essex councils branded 'undemocratic' by local leaders
The creation of a one-tier authority for Essex—that would entirely replace the current county council and local councils— is "undemocratic” and was likened to 'rearranging deckchairs on a sinking ship' by local council leaders. According to a report in The Times this week, the government is planning to replace the district, borough, and county councils of Essex with a unitary system, in which a single authority would cover all local government responsibilities such as bin collections, planning, and highway maintenance for the entire county.
The report has also led to warnings the shakeup could lead to one dominant party ruling the whole county. There are three Tory leaders, three Labour leaders, four independent leaders, and four Lib Dem leaders in Essex, which shows the county's diverse political views.
Lib Dem leader of Brentwood Borough Council Councillor Barry Aspinell said abolishing the two-tier system - with one county council and 12 districts beneath it - would reduce accountability. Under the current system, district councils handle issues such as planning permission and bin collections, while the county council handles issues such as social care, education and highways. However, Councillor Aspinell warned that as with the county council now dominated by the Tories - a unitary authority with even more powers could also likely be ruled by the Conservatives - despite district variations.
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Essex County Council is administered by the Conservatives, who have 50 of the 75 seats. The Lib Dems have eight, Labour six, and non-aligned or independent councillors number 11. Councillor Aspinall said: “I don't believe that a councillor living in Bradwell can effectively represent residents in South Weald. It would be undemocratic locally. We are not talking about an insignificant number of people - 70,000 or 80,000 people live in Brentwood.
"It is not insignificant. In our area in Brentwood, we can cope with that. We can deliver their services. We could alter things to their benefit. If you get bigger than that, you lose that connection between your residents and those making the decisions. That's what's got [messed] up with Essex.”
Instead, Councillor Aspinell proposes abolishing the county council altogether and giving 12 districts additional powers. But, he said services such as adult social care and education should be run more centrally, adding: "It's public services that need to be reformed, not local councils."
Councillor Stephen Robinson, Lib Dem leader of Chelmsford City Council has hit out at claims the change may save save money. He said: “There is no hard evidence that reorganisation will save money. In fact, it is very clear that, in the short term, it will cost a lot of money to put thousands of council staff into new jobs.
"For residents of Chelmsford to have one council, rather than the city and county councils, would be clearer about who is responsible for what. But if the Government is going to force these changes upon us, they need to fund it properly. Otherwise, there will be huge disruption and cost to local taxpayers, and public services will get worse.
“Moreover, neither combined authorities or council reorganisations will address the fundamental problem for local councils. Homelessness, children’s special needs services and adult social care are all struggling, following rising demand and slashed Government funding to councils over the last 10 years. The Government needs to address that issue rather than moving deckchairs on the Titanic.”
The Tory opposition group leader in Chelmsford, Councillor Roy Whitehead, said he also opposes the idea of one large unitary because of Essex's disparate makeup. He said that having two or three unitary authorities would maintain a degree of representation that might be lost if one large authority was created.
Councillor Whitehead said: “I think because of the disparate nature of Essex then it probably shouldn't be one. Which is why I would have suggested two. Chelmsford, Maldon, Colchester and Braintree make a reasonably homogeneous version of a place. I like the situation where my residents know who I am, and that is the pattern throughout most of the areas in Essex, which is why I am not in favour of an all-Essex authority. If there were two or three full-size unitary authorities, that would be better. A giant new authority means effectively a giant county council. I am not sure that is a good thing if we lose accountability."
Councillor Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council welcomed the news arguing the two-tier system is “over”. He said: “This is excellent news and proof that the government is serious about making the big changes that are needed to get the Essex economy growing again, homes built, skills improved, roads modernised and transport overhauled. It’s unusual for the stars to align in a way where local and central government are in sync, but that’s very much the case in Essex. I’ve long said that the two-tier model is over. It’s grossly expensive and inefficient, and it’s stopped Basildon from fulfilling its true potential.”
Cllr Richard Siddall, Leader of Maldon District Council, who is a Maldon District Independent Group member, said: “I would echo the comments of the District Councils’ Network, in that any reorganisation of local government would need to be part of a holistic public service reform. Local government needs to be kept local so that residents and businesses can relate to it. We need to ensure that we strengthen local democracy and reflect local circumstances. Councils need to have a sense of place, otherwise they lose the connection to those they represent. I await to see the Government’s White Paper.”
Lib Dem councillor James Newport, Leader of Rochford District Council, said: “We are, of course, waiting for the government’s Devolution White Paper to be published, but I am disappointed at suggestions that Devolution through Combined Authorities, which the Government has been clear on its commitment to, and which I support in principle, may now be linked with Local Government Reorganisation which the Government made no reference to in its manifesto. Although I am very conscious that there haven’t been any announcements about what this might mean for Essex.
“I am also concerned that the article suggests that the Government has consulted ‘extensively’ with councils over the changes and were only working with areas that pro-actively supported the reforms, as there certainly hasn’t been any consultation with Rochford District Council, or as far as I am aware the majority of other district, city and borough councils. Rochford District Council has already taken its own initiative and is already working very well in partnership with Brentwood Borough Council, delivering vital frontline services to our residents that impact their daily lives whilst reducing our costs. I believe this partnership has brought together a team of skilled, dedicated officers that work tirelessly day in and day out for our residents in providing vital services to its local communities and believe that this should be the main focus, as opposed to financial savings that seem to be ‘predicted’ and which I am highly sceptical of.”
Dave Blackwell, Canvey Independent leader of Castle Point Council, said: “We are supportive of Essex-wide devolution so long as it means the inclusion of second-tier authorities, but maintain some scepticism of a mayoral model. We do not have an opinion on Local Government Reform as that is not the same as devolution and we haven't got a stance on that at present, as we are reserving our position until we see what is in the white paper.”
In September, Essex County Council submitted to the government an expression of interest in a devolution deal for the county and is currently working with Southend-on-Sea City Council, Thurrock Council and the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner alongside city, borough and district councils to explore what a devolution deal could look like.
Councillor Kevin Bentley, Leader of Essex County Council, said: “This is about our residents and businesses - we want better services and opportunities for them. That’s our ambition, and that is why we are enthusiastic about the potential of a devolution deal for Essex. We are awaiting the detail in the White Paper on local government reorganisation, but we look forward to working with the government and our partners on developing appropriate plans and doing so at pace. What we do know is that for reorganisation, scale matters. Unitary councils with smaller population sizes have struggled, which is why we believe the government will ask for proposals featuring populations of around 500,000. That will enable new councils to offer the best possible value to residents.”
A spokesman for the ministry of housing, communities and local government said: “No decisions have been taken on council reorganisation. Our priority is to focus on the transfer of power from Westminster and work with councils to create structures that make sense for their local areas and work effectively for local people. We will set out further details in the upcoming English devolution white paper.”