We organise, speak at and attend various planning policy and public affairs events on industry-related topics

 

Upcoming events

Chelgate Local and Bidwells, in conjunction with the Essex Developers Group, is hosting a breakfast briefing about local government reform and devolution and how they could impact upon the development industry in Essex.

It is perhaps counter intuitive to be reforming local government when trying to ramp up housing delivery to 300,000 per year, but the government is adamant these reforms are to facilitate housebuilding so the target can be achieved, not to hinder it.

Essex is a priority area with mayoral elections in 2026 and unitary elections in 2027, with the new councils operating in shadow for a year and then being vested in 2028.

Business plans for new unitary councils in Essex will be submitted in September, with the government consulting on them from November, and making a final decision by March. There will then be disaggregation of existing services, and reaggregation into the new structure before vesting the new councils, and abolishing the existing unitary, district, borough and city councils, in 2028.

This breakfast briefing will provide an insight into the LGR and devolution process, how it will impact councils and how that will, in turn, affect the development industry in Essex. What will happen to local plans, what are spatial strategies, and how will that impact on plan making and development management. Speakers will include:

Louise McKinlay Louise is deputy leader of Essex County Council and former leader of Brentwood Borough Council. She has just been selected as the Conservative mayoral candidate for Essex for 2026.

 

 

 

Bayo Alaba MP Bayo is the Member of Parliament for Southend and Rochford

 

 

 

Steven Butler Steven is partner, planning, at Bidwells, a planning consultancy operating across Essex.

 

 

 

Cllr Stephen Robinson Stephen is the leader of Chelmsford Ciryb Council and an Essex county councillor.

 

 

 

 

The briefing will be chaired by our own Michael Hardware in his role as cabinet member for local government reorganisation and devolution at Harlow Council.

The event is being staged in The Conservatory at Pontlands Park Hotel, West Hanningfield Road, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 8HR. Breakfast will be served from 8am, with the event starting at 9am, running through until 10.30.

To receive further details about this, please register here.

Previous events

We have hosted various events in recent years with various councils across Surrey, Essex, Kent, Hertfordshire and Oxfordshire, with planning consultants such as Strutt & Parker, Vail Williams, Bidwells, Lichfields, Knight Frank and DLP.