A Brightlingsea councillor has said that the town should expect “massive change” to local services when local government reorganisation takes place over the next few years.
Proposals for ‘Greater Essex’, which will see Essex County Council (ECC) abolished and district councils merged into larger unitary bodies, were sent to government at the end of September.
Ten of the county’s district councils favour five unitaries, with Tendring District Council (TDC) supporting a merger with Colchester and Braintree. ECC has proposed three unitary councils, which would mean TDC being merged with Colchester, Braintree and Uttlesford.
Audited figures released by current district councils suggest that the five unitary authorities saves over £100m per year, compared to just £25m for three unitary authorities.
The reorganisation will also see the county gain a mayor – with an election scheduled for May 7, 2026 – who’ll have responsibility for the police and fire services. Elections for the new unitary bodies, which would initially run as shadow authorities, are planned for May 2027 with existing councils abolished in April 2028.
At last month’s full meeting of Brightlingsea Town Council (BTC), TDC councillor and cabinet member Mick Barry said planning for reorganisation had been a “huge distraction”.
He said: “It’s been a complete and utter nightmare for some of the officers, who’ve been spending all their time on this without any indication of which recommendation is going to be accepted by the government.”
What happens to TDC’s assets in Brightlingsea is still undecided, said Cllr Barry, with BTC involved in ongoing discussions with TDC to see “how we can sustain those and keep them in good shape”.
But Cllr Barry warned; “It’s going to be a massive change for the town. We had this in 1974 [when previous local government reorganisation took place and the old Brightlingsea Urban District Council was abolished].
“There will be some significant changes to local service delivery and provision,” said Cllr Barry. “We’re really uncertain as to what those might be, but we’re really active within the town council and all I can do is reassure residents that we will aim to get the best deal for Brightlingsea.”
He added: “We stick by working with Colchester and Braintree as the best option for our district as we already work closely with them on a number of procurement and contract issues. Fingers crossed that we get that option, but we’re in the hands of government at the end of the day.”
The government will review all the proposals and decide which of them will be put forward to a public consultation, which is expected to be launched . This consultation is expected to launch in the autumn. It will give residents the opportunity to have their say on the future of local government.
