Devolution and Local Government Reform for Colchester

Before Christmas the Government announced in a White Paper its proposals on devolution and local government reform. Here's what that means:

DEVOLUTION: Shifting power from national to local levels, such as in public transport, most likely via an elected mayor.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM: Abolishing current councils and replacing them with fewer, larger ones.

The Government has invited proposals from County Councils in response to its White Paper, and these changes are expected to be rolled out nationwide.

Essex County Council voted on 10th January 2025 to propose to Government both devolution (to gain an Essex Mayor with new powers) and reform local government (to replace the 15 current Essex councils like Essex County and Colchester with 2-5 new ones). Parish and town councils are not expected to be affected. 

As a consequence of this decision, Government will probably postpone the Essex County Council elections scheduled for May 2025 and the Colchester City Council elections scheduled for May 2026, in expectation that these councils will be abolished.

Instead, the election of an Essex Mayor is expected to take place in May 2026 and shadow authorities for the new (unitary) councils elected by May 2027. The new councils would take full effect by 2028, with existing ones abolished.

Cllr Paul Dundas, Leader of the City Council Conservative Opposition said: "The Conservative Councillors at Colchester City Council support the principle of devolution and local government reform. There is no common sense to how local government is currently structured. We have a highly centralised Government but a sprawling local bureaucracy. It is a confusing set-up (for example: one council collects waste and recycling from your home, then another Council separates out recyclables and disposes of the remainder in land-fill or incineration)."

City Cllr Lewis Barber (Lexden and Braiswick Ward, and also Essex Constable Division) added: “This is an historic opportunity to bring more power to people and end the illogical two tier system of local government in Essex. It will be a challenging project but one that I believe we bring about real change to our communities.”

The proposals are not without risk. The transition period from County Council plus City Council to Essex Mayor and unitary authority is likely to be complex.  The potential postponement of elections may not sit easy with all residents, but postponements have often occurred during previous local government re-organisations.

There may be potential conflict between the spending plans of the councils being abolished and those coming into force during the transition period.  There may be disputes regarding the financial contributions to the new authorities and what powers and policy areas reside with the Government, the Essex Mayor and the new councils.

Conservatives believe that sensible re-structuring of councils across Essex, with more power devolved to a local level, can help boost productivity and our local economies, improve public services and be more cost-efficient for the taxpayer. It is also an opportunity for clearer responsibility for elected representatives and a move towards better democratic accountability.

2025-01-10

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