Essex County Council under fire over proposals to cancel May’s elections
Essex County Council (ECC) faces a backlash against “undemocratic” plans to delay elections.
The authority is proposing the vote scheduled for May 1 be cancelled to allow, it says, for work to proceed more seamlessly towards an elected mayor system and a complete reorganisation of local government in the county.
Under plans to postpone elections, the sitting Tory administration could be in charge of ECC for up to seven years without facing the electorate – three years longer than normal convention dictates.
At an extraordinary meeting of the full council this Friday (January 10), councillors will discuss whether Essex should participate in the Government’s devolution priority programme.
As part of that, the administration is requesting permission to ask the Government to postpone the 2025 county council elections.
That has been met with stiff opposition amid accusations it would be undemocratic and the Tories are afraid of losing at the ballot box. In 2021, the last time county council elections were held, they won 52 of the 75 seats.
Leader of Chelmsford City Council, Lib Dem Cllr Stephen Robinson, said: “It just seems wrong that they can carry on for another three years without having faced the electorate.
“A lot has changed since 2021. Nearly all of the councils that are due to have elections in May are Conservative-led. It seems to me they’re frightened of facing the electorate.”
A statement from the People Independent Party in Castle Point said: “History shows that a request to move from two-tier to unitary status takes at least two years, meaning almost certainly they would be serving in their seventh year of the four years they were elected for by the time they have to put themselves before the public again.
“This is being done, as Essex County Council say, in the name of ‘better democracy’.
“We are outraged that at the ‘Mad Hatters Tea Party’ masquerading as an Essex County Council meeting, they will be seeking to bestow powers upon themselves with no public mandate, to extend their tenure because it is more convenient for themselves, to force a costly and disruptive reorganisation where no proof can be put forward of financial or efficiency savings from previous examples of such reorganisations.
“We demand that the Essex County Council elections should go ahead as planned in May. We need councillors who have not overstayed their welcome, who will truly represent our local community and not be bound by having to toe the party line.”
The proposal for a delay to elections comes amid Government plans to overhaul local government in Essex by replacing the county’s two-tier council system with unitary authorities.
The proposal suggests scrapping the county council plus Uttlesford District Council and the 11 other district and borough councils, consolidating their responsibilities under regional “super-authorities”.
These unitary authorities, responsible for populations of at least 500,000, would manage everything from social care and education to bin collections and highway maintenance.
The plan is accompanied by a proposal to create a directly elected mayor responsible for a new Greater Essex Combined Authority.
This would see a mayoral strategic authority established in April 2026 and a mayoral election take place in May 2026.
The creation of unitary authorities would likely involve first creating “shadow” councils, which could be elected in May 2027.
These could work to prepare for a switch-on date – possibly in April 2028 – when they would start operating and the county council ceases to exist.
However, until that point, the administration at ECC could be operating to oversee those services it currently looks after. This has generated accusations the council would be operating for up to three years without a proper mandate.
Brightlinsea town councillor Mat Court said: “As someone who was planning to stand in these elections, I strongly disagree with any move to delay them.
“In my view, we need more democracy at this crucial time, not less. We’re talking about huge changes to how our local councils might work – whether they even exist – and I think local people deserve a current up-to-date say.”
A petition calling on ECC not to vote to stop elections in May has been launched by Reform UK’s Tom Allison.
It says: “We want elections to take place and elect a new council to manage the devolution. All 75 Essex county councillors are invited to take part in the debate on January 10. The council leader will make the final decision for Essex County Council following this. We need to ensure that elections are not cancelled at the request of politicians.”
However, the plans have been defended on the grounds that “the cost and disruption that elections would create would delay the reform process”.
Tory Cllr Bob Massey said: “This year could be a game-changer, with county council elections scheduled for May 1. However, these may be delayed if the Government’s plans for local government reform come forward. That’s not undemocratic; the cost and disruption that elections would create would delay the reform process.
“The Government’s White Paper on English devolution and local government reform – published in December – presents an exciting opportunity for Essex. It opens the door to greater local control, streamlined services and the ability to shape decisions that reflect the unique needs of our communities.
“It represents the biggest change to the structure of local authorities since the early 1970s.
“For too long, many decisions impacting Essex have been made in Westminster. Devolution could bring more power closer to the people, giving us the tools to drive real change – whether it’s improving infrastructure, boosting local businesses or tackling issues like housing and transport.
“Of course, change comes with challenges. It’s important we ensure that local voices remain at the heart of any new system and that our communities don’t lose the close, responsive representation they rely on.”
Cllr Kevin Bentley, leader of ECC, said: “We don’t want to turn this into a political football match. Rather, we need to be focusing on what is in the long-term interests of residents. This is about improving the structures of local government to secure quality services at costs taxpayers can afford.
“Postponing elections is a decision which would not be taken lightly, but it has proven to work in other areas where this type of organisational change has already taken place. The Government is setting an ambitious timeline, which will see the first of this work done by March.
“The law would prevent us from communicating as politicians during a crucial period, and we cannot let anything distract us from getting the best deal for Essex.
“I am keen to hear the views of all our members on Friday, but it is clear that postponement would minimise disruption by allowing the simplification process to take place so that day-to-day services would be able to continue unhindered for residents. Ultimately, of course, it would be for the Government to decide.”
