Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) is on the agenda at Brentwood Borough Council’s meeting of Full Council next week (19 March), as councillors are set to discuss the interim plan. All 15 councils across Greater Essex will consider the interim plan before the deadline for it to be submitted to the Government on 21 March.
The document follows Greater Essex’s inclusion in the Government’s Priority Programme for Devolution. The Government invited authorities to work together, alongside the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, to produce plans for how all-purpose unitary councils could improve the delivery of essential public services across the county.
The interim plan to be discussed next week includes an in-principle preference for five new unitary councils as the right model for Essex’s future local governance, whilst retaining a sense of local place and communities. The interim plan does not decide the potential geographical make-up of the five unitary councils.
Councillor Vicky Davies, Joint Deputy Leader of Brentwood Council, said: “While we have moved forward with reluctance following the decision made by Greater Essex to proceed at such a pace, we have sought the best possible outcomes for Brentwood’s residents, working with councils across Essex.”
She added: “At this early stage of the process, the interim plan is just that – a draft proposal where no final decision has been made. Many complex strategic legal and financial issues must be considered and thoroughly evaluated before the government makes any decisions.”
Councillor Dr Tim Barrett, Joint Deputy Leader of Brentwood Borough Council, added: “Our focus on the proposals from Government for Local Government Reform and Devolution, requested by the Upper Tier Authorities in Greater Essex, is to champion the best outcome for the borough, considering the structure of the process we have been given to work with.”