South West Essex Council
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
South West Essex Council | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 2028 |
| Preceded by | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 82 councillors[a][1] |
Joint committees | Greater Essex Combined Authority |
Length of term | 4 years |
| Elections | |
| First past the post | |
First election | May 2027 |
South West Essex Council is a planned English unitary authority for the new local government district of South West Essex. The council will be a constituent member of the Greater Essex Combined Authority.
Timeline
As part of the Starmer ministry local government reform, a goal of "simpler local government structures" was set out by the government, including a commitment to phase out two-tier local government structures.[2][3] South West Essex Council was announced in March 2026 as the replacement for Basildon Borough Council and Essex County Council in Basildon and Thurrock Council in Thurrock. The area of Basildon and Thurrock will form the South West Essex local government district.[4]
The 2027 South West Essex Council election is set to take place in May 2027, with the authority taking over local government responsibilities on 1 April 2028.[4] The council will be a constituent member of the Greater Essex Combined Authority, which is also being established ahead of the 2028 Greater Essex mayoral election.[5]
Debt
Thurrock Council, one of the predecessor authorities, had £1.5 billion of debt from bad investments. In December 2025, £677 million of this remained. In March 2026, to coincide with the announcement of the new South West Essex Council, the government provided £200 million to pay off part of the debt.[6]
Notes
- ↑ Proposed in September 2025
References
- ↑ "Creating a Local Future for Greater Essex" (PDF). www.essexlgrhub.org. September 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ "Local government reorganisation: Policy and programme updates". GOV.UK. 11 July 2025. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- ↑ "Summary of the local government reorganisation process". GOV.UK. Retrieved 29 October 2025.
- 1 2 Reed, Steve (25 March 2026). "Local Government Reorganisation Statement made on 25 March 2026". UK Parliament.
- ↑ Dedman, Simon (31 July 2025). "Greater Essex devolution: What would a new mayor do?". BBC News. Retrieved 26 March 2026.
- ↑ Dedman, Simon (25 March 2026). "Thurrock Council to get £200m in debt relief". BBC News. Retrieved 27 March 2026.
Local authorities in Essex | |
|---|---|
| Combined authority | |
| County council and unitary | |
| District councils | |
| New unitary councils from April 2028 | |
