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Previous Events

Surrey & Sussex Breakfast Briefing: the impact on planning and development of local government reorganisation and devolution

Chelgate Local and Vail Williams hosted a breakfast briefing about local government reform (LGR) and devolution and how they could impact upon the development industry in Surrey and Sussex on Friday, 15 May 2026, at Denbies Wine Estate, Dorking.

It is perhaps counter intuitive to be reforming local government when also trying to ramp up housing delivery to 300,000 per year and meet centralised targets. However, the government is adamant these reforms are designed to facilitate faster housebuilding in order for these targets to be achieved, not to hinder them.

Surrey and Sussex are on different LGR and devolution paths: Surrey already knows the configuration of its new unitaries (two), whereas Sussex will find out in July. Surrey had unitary elections in May with mayoral elections likely next year. The new councils will operate in shadow for a year before being vested, replacing the existing councils. See our LGR summary here.

A sumptuous breakfast was served with speakers:

• Katy Bourne Sussex PPC (Police and Crime Commissioner)
• Cllr Marisa Heath Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Planning and Development
• Chris Wilmshurst Partner, Planning, Vail Williams
• Cllr Michael Hardware Past Cabinet Member for LGR and Devolution, now Member for Planning and Garden Town, at Harlow District Council, and Director of Chelgate Local.

The event was chaired by Nick Wood-Dow deputy chairman of Chelgate and Deputy Lord Lieutenant of Surrey.

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.

You can read a full report on the briefing here – speakers included:

Cllr 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 City Council and an Essex county councillor.