Essex Breakfast Briefing: Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution

On Friday 12th September 2025, Chelgate Local and Bidwells, in conjunction with the Essex Developers Group, co-hosted a Local Government Reorganisation and Devolution Breakfast Briefing at Pontlands Park Hotel near Chelmsford, in Essex.

After attendees enjoyed a scrumptious breakfast buffet, the event was introduced by Michael Hardware, Chelgate Local’s director of planning & property and also the cabinet member for local government reorganisation and devolution at Harlow Council. He welcomed attendees and briefly outlined the upcoming timetable for Essex – four business plans are being prepared for Essex: a three-unitary configuration being promoted by Essex County Council two four-unitary configurations, one from Rochford and one from Thurrock, and then a five-unitary configuration being promoted by Southend and supported by 10 of the 15 existing councils.

Essex is a priority area with mayoral elections next year and unitary elections in 2027, with the new councils operating in shadow for a year and then being vested in 2028. At this point the existing districts, borough, unitary and county councils will be abolished.

The first speaker was Cllr Louise McKinlay, deputy leader of Essex County and Conservative mayoral candidate for Essex for 2026. Louise highlighted her support of LGR and devolution as she introduced herself as a resident, politician and business owner within the county of Essex. She highlighted the county has GDP currently worth £53bn, but it is not fulfilled its full potential. Louise continued to discuss the opportunities the new unitary model system will provide, highlighting the system will allow growth and support across transport, planning and the economy. She concluded by emphasising the importance of a mayor for the county as they can advocate and support future growth.

Our second speaker was Bayo Alaba MP, who was elected as a Member of Parliament for Southend and Rochford in 2024. Bayo began by expressing his support and indicative agreement with Louise McKinlay as he highlighted his non-traditional political background within the hospitality industry which has allowed him to understand the importance of communities. He proceeded to discuss the housing crisis and the importance of economic regeneration to ensure positive change and growth within Essex. Bayo highlighted the inequality between counties in the south east and how Essex has had limited opportunities compared to others. He concluded by highlighting the importance of engagement within communities when proposing new developments, controlling the narrative to ensure residents are well-informed.

Cllr Stephen Robinson, the leader of Chelmsford City Council and an Essex County councillor, was next and he began by implying opportunities could arise from devolution, however he suggested the government is not devolving power as they previously said they would which brings concerns of micromanagement and local authorities losing power. Stephen highlighted why he believes local plan authorities should stay in charge, suggesting he supports the five unitary model as it ensures decisions made are as local as possible and will support the growth of the economy. He proceeded to discuss the housing crisis as he mentioned currently within Chelmsford there are 2000 homeless individuals of which 652 are children. He continuously emphasised the importance of a decision on LGR to be made as soon as possible. He concluded by highlighting the importance of community development and engagement when new development is proposed, as well as strategic partnerships to ensure change can be made.

Steven Butler, a partner in Bidwells’ Planning Team, concluded the presentations. He discussed the importance of Spatial Development Strategies used to guide local plans and provide strategic direction. He highlighted the importance of legislative frameworks and identifying key infrastructure requirements and discussed the mayoral powers of devolution which included mayoral CIL, compulsory purchase, development corporations and intervention. He highlighted the potential changes to expect from the new unitary councils which included local plans to focus on site allocations and land supply to be addressed over the unitary authority area.

Overall, the event provided a useful insight into the local government reform and devolution, the process and timetable, how it is likely to impact councils and how, in turn, it will affect the development industry in Essex.