Essex County Council’s (ECC) cabinet has agreed an interim plan which sets out how the county could be run following devoloution.

Under the government’s devolution plans, a Mayoral Combined County Authority – known as Greater Essex – would cover the local government areas of ECC, Thurrock Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council, with district councils including Tendring merged into three or more larger unitary bodies.

At a meeting on March 18, ECC councillors agreed to submits its Local Government Reorganisation in Greater Essex plan to government, saying that the move is a “major step forward to transform how essential local services are delivered and reduce costs for residents and councils”.

Accoring the council, the plan “sets out how LGR could transform councils to achieve more for residents and businesses, by streamlining services and reducing duplication between the existing two tiers of local government”.

Currently there are no firm recommendations around the future number of unitary authorities and their geographic borders, and final business cases will be submitted to the government in September.

At the council’s cabinet meeting, leader Kevin Bentley, said: “All 15 councils and the office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in Greater Essex have worked incredibly hard to develop this joint submission which, I am proud to say, has residents and businesses at its heart. We are not only doing this for the people of Essex now, but for future generations who will benefit too.

“We don’t underestimate the scale of what is being proposed. Work will continue between now and September to gather evidence and inform the final structures that will help us to achieve economies of scale and protect vital front-line services from unnecessary risk. We need to ensure the new councils – however many this turns out to be – are sustainable. The government will consider this as part of their final decision and so we must get this once-in-a-generation opportunity right.”