To receive a verbal update from the Assistant Director - Strategy, Partnerships and Communications.
Minutes:
The Deputy Chief Executive advised that the Chairperson had requested a regular briefing on progress with Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) and Devolution. Therefore, this would be a standing item on future Council agendas.
The Deputy Chief Executive referred to the Member briefing on 28 May 2025 and how work was progressing quickly, particularly regarding the LGR process. Alongside the Leader of the Council, today he had attended the five unitary authority option programme board meeting at Southend where discussions had focused on the evidence base for place-based approaches to social care along with the member representation approach within the new proposed authorities.
The Deputy Chief Executive handed over to the Assistant Director – Strategy, Partnerships and Communications who provided a further verbal update on Devolution and LGR including:
Devolution:
· Essex was part of the Priority Devolution Programme, led by Essex County Council (ECC), Thurrock and Southend. If approved by parliament the Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) would be established with the first mayoral election scheduled for May 2026.
· Subject experts were being identified to begin work on how the MCCA would operate. Maldon District Council (MDC) Officers would contribute to policy workshops being arranged, with topics including transport & infrastructure, economic growth & housing, planning, and environment & climate change. The aim was to have as many policies, processes and resources in place for day one of the MCCA.
· The aim was to have the target operating model for the MCCA designed by the end of July 2025.
LGR:
· A letter from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to Essex, Southend and Thurrock Chief Executives had confirmed £514,000 to support the development of business cases. The letter encouraged the sharing of data / evidence bases and for there to be as few proposals submitted as possible.
· Two proposals were being developed:
· Option A – Five Unitary Authorities
This model had three phases to it. Phase one was complete and phase two continued until the end of July 2025, the data gathering and development phases.
It was expected that a draft of the business case would be available between the end of July and middle of August 2025. The business case would set out the clear ambition, main benefits and outcomes for this model. As well as how this model would work with the MCCA devolved powers and functions to demonstrate how the two can work both strategically and operationally, to deliver services and infrastructure across the five unitary areas.
An extraordinary meeting of the Council would be taking place on 25 September 2025 to review the business case prior to the submission deadline.
· Option B – the ECC led business case which was currently going through an options appraisal.
MDC Officers are engaged in Option A with Leaders and Chief Executive’s engaged with both options via the Essex Leaders’ and Chief Executives forum.
· A number of consultants had been commissioned and the Assistant Director took Members through these along with the roles that they would play.
· In line with feedback from the MHCLG there would be a strong emphasis on empowering communities and putting residents first, recognising the opportunity for Neighbourhood Area Committees and for there to be place-based engagement and leadership. It will focus on sustainability and balancing the scale with local responsiveness.
· Resident engagement would be via a consultation website running for a period of four weeks. This information would be shared with Members as soon as it is ready to go live, expected to be at the beginning of the following week.
· Officers continued to support the work to inform the business case and the first meeting of the Council’s Devolution and LGR Member Working Group was scheduled to take place on Thursday 19 June and would run every six weeks (or as needed) until the unitary councils formed.
The Leader of the Council assured Members that in terms of modelling the Council would look at all options to ensure that the right case was put forward. There would be a pan Essex Consultation across the whole of Essex which would feed into the business case development. He provided further information regarding the initial analysis from the Social Care Institute for Excellence regarding the size of authorities.
At this point and in response to questions raised the Chairperson advise that he was moving to Agenda Item 12 - Questions to the Leader of the Council in accordance with Procedure Rule 1(3)(m).