Essex County Council has today confirmed elections for county councillors, due in May, will not take place this year after the Government accepted the Council's application to the Devolution Priority Programme.
I am against the postponement of these important elections and will making this clear to the Council's leadership team.
The Leader of Essex County Council, Cllr Kevin Bentley has issued the following statement about the decision:
"I am writing to you with an update on Devolution in Greater Essex.
As you will know, on Friday 10 January we held an extraordinary meeting to discuss devolution and local government reform, and to decide whether to participate in the government’s Priority Programme for Devolution.
Following this meeting we, alongside Southend-on-Sea City Council and Thurrock Council wrote to the Minister to request participation in the programme.
Today (5 February 2025) the Government confirmed that Essex is one of the areas to have been accepted onto the Devolution Priority Programme.
The Government has also confirmed that the elections scheduled for May this year for Essex County Council and Thurrock Council will be suspended. A consultation exercise on Devolution proposals for Essex will begin in the next few weeks, and we will provide more information on this in due course.
We will now work with colleagues at Southend-on-Sea City Council and Thurrock Council and the Minister in terms of next steps on Devolution and with all Greater Essex Councils on proposals for Local Government Reorganisation, and keep you updated on progress and key developments. We will also be sending you an invitation in the coming days to attend a briefing session in Parliament to discuss these proposals in more detail."
The following additional information has been received from the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon OBE MP who has written to the Leaders of Essex County Council, Southend Unitary Authority and Thurrock Unitary Authority to give more detail about the decision by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Angela Rayner MP to move ahead with the devolution programme and suspend this year's county council elections until 2026:
"In July 2024, the Deputy Prime Minister invited you to partner with this new Government to deliver the most ambitious programme of devolution this country has ever seen. Since that letter, we have published the English Devolution White Paper, setting out further detail on how we will widen and deepen devolution across England, providing mayors with unprecedented powers and funding and hardwiring devolution into the way government works, and our determination to rebuild local government and to reset the relationship between national and local government.
As part of our goal to widen devolution across England, you’ll be aware that we invited areas to come forward and express an interest in joining the Devolution Priority Programme. The first of its kind, this programme will deliver new strategic authorities and see a new wave of mayors elected in May 2026. It will provide a fast-track to mayoral devolution for those that are ready to come together under sensible geographies which meet the criteria set out in the White Paper. We were incredibly pleased to see such a positive response to the programme, showing that the country is ready for change.
Based on our criteria of geography and readiness set out in the English Devolution White Paper, I am pleased to confirm that Greater Essex has been selected to join the Devolution Priority Programme.
You will receive the full backing of Government to deliver to these ambitious timescales, including capacity funding which we will confirm in due course. The creation of your Mayoral Combined Authority will of course be subject to further approvals and consents, and the scale of investment funding attached to your devolution agreement will be confirmed at the Spending Review.
We will begin the Programme by launching a consultation on devolution in your area shortly. This will be led by MHCLG, and we warmly welcome your and your local communities’ views in response. My officials will be in contact immediately to confirm further details of this.
By agreeing to be part of the Devolution Priority Programme, you have agreed to seek to deliver devolution and reorganisation to the most ambitious timetable. I understand that the timing of elections affects your ability to plan for and proceed with these changes at speed and you have therefore requested for your local elections to be postponed from May 2025 to May 2026. While I do not take this decision lightly, I agree that this delay is necessary to facilitate both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timetable. I know I can count on your support to see this through.
The legislation will also postpone the changes to electoral divisions in recent boundary changes legislation for Essex County and Thurrock so they come into effect alongside the May 2026 election. This will ensure that any vacancies arising before May 2026 will be filled at by-elections on the current boundaries. You will receive your statutory invitation for local government reorganisation separately, alongside all councils in your area.
I know you agree that, for too long, Westminster has hoarded power and held back towns, cities, and villages across the country from achieving their true potential. Today marks a significant step forward in taking back control and rebuilding our country from the ground up. And a step closer to seeing an England that grants access and opportunity to all."
