FAQs

Currently in England there is a mix of local authorities delivering services for residents. Not all do the same things. Smaller district councils, such as Braintree District Council or Rochford District Council, provide services such as waste and refuse collection, planning and housing.

The next level up are unitary councils. These are larger than district councils and provide all of the same services, plus others such as schools/education, social care and highways.

Finally, there are county councils, which tend to cover large populations, which are often rural. Lancashire, Derbyshire and Essex County Councils are all good examples. Like unitary councils, they often provide the full range of services but will sometimes work with district councils to deliver others.

In Essex, the mix of one large county, two unitary councils (Thurrock and Southend) and 12 district councils all mean there are 15 different local authorities operating.

The government’s long-term vision is for simpler council structures, which should make it clearer who is responsible for what services. The government believes reorganising and simplifying councils can help generate more jobs and economic growth while delivering better public services.

Reorganisation would see all 15 councils in Essex – including Thurrock Council, Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea City Council, replaced with a number of all-purpose ‘unitary’ authorities who are responsible for all local authority services in their area.

All 15 councils in Essex would be replaced with a number of unitary councils. Each of them is working on developing their own ideas about what the future shape of local government in Essex should be. Those proposals need to be sent to the government to consider by the end of September 2025.

The government thinks the optimum population size for new unitary councils to be at least 500,000 people. However, there may be some flexibility on this, and each case will be considered on its own merits.

Greater Essex has a population of around 1.9 million, meaning – based on the maths – the most likely number is three or four unitary councils.

Reorganisation isn’t mandatory but government is keen to see proposals from local authorities right across the country. Very few parts of the country will not be involved in local government reorganisation over the next few years.

Interim proposals were submitted to the government in March 2025. These set out some broad principles and demonstrated there was appetite for change.

Firm and more detailed proposals from councils in Essex need to be submitted to government for review by the end of September 2025.

Assuming ministers do select a proposal for change from those submitted by Essex local councils, elections to ‘shadow local authorities’ could be expected in May 2027 informed by a wider public consultation to be likely held in 2026. New unitary councils could well be ‘going live’ in April 2028.

Devolution is the transfer of powers and funding from UK government to local government. Local Government Reorganisation is about how local government powers and funding are organised between councils.

The proposals for devolution differ across the country. One particular model, which has been successful in places like Manchester and Liverpool in helping create jobs, get homes built and boost the economy, is for a Mayor for Greater Essex. This is a proposal which the local councils of Essex are working together to develop.

Following that work, the government has announced that ‘Greater Essex’ has been selected to move to the next stage of establishing a Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA).

Once the new government had published its proposals on devolution, council leaders from across Essex agreed that the concept of a Mayor for Greater Essex was worth pursuing, a public consultation was launched. Over 4000 people responded and a formal proposal for a MCCA was submitted to government. There is much more work to do, however.

If the Mayoral proposal progresses, there could be elections for a new county-wide Mayor with executive powers by May 2026.

Any costs of playing our part in shaping the future of local government in Essex will be met from existing budgets.

While the main goal of these changes is not about cost of services and how they are delivered, it is the case that efficiencies and better value for money can be gained. This is good news for Thurrock residents.

The council has launched a consultation on local government reorganisation, so we can hear from residents and other stakeholders about what matters most to you as we look at what changes could happen. You can fill this out within this page.

You can also attend two engagements event on the topic, at which senior council leaders will be on hand to talk about what the changes might mean and to hear what you think.

The event details are:

• The online meeting will take place on Wednesday 6 August between 7pm and 8pm 
•  The face-to-face public question time event will be held at the Thameside Complex in Grays on Tuesday 19 August starting at 7pm 

To find out more or register for one of the events so you can have your say on local government reorganisation, visit: https://consult.thurrock.gov.uk/lgr