‘Essex’s finest hour’ – Devolution plans are approved in landmark vote

‘Essex’s finest hour’ – Devolution plans are approved in landmark vote

In a historic moment for the future of Greater Essex, Essex County Council has approved plans to create a Mayoral Combined County Authority (MCCA) for the region.

This game-changing decision will bring new powers, investment and opportunity to Greater Essex.

The creation of the MCCA will equip local leaders with the tools to shape the region’s future across key areas like the economy, transport, housing, skills and infrastructure.

At a meeting of the council’s Cabinet on Thursday (16 October), Councillor Kevin Bentley, Leader of Essex County Council, said the vote was “an historic moment for Greater Essex”.

He said: “This isn’t just any vote; this is very historic. You are about to create something brand new for this county that will last for decades, if not longer than that.

“I feel very excited about the prospect of what can be achieved in this county, and you are about to make that happen.”

Referencing former Prime Minister and Essex MP Winston Churchill, Councillor Mark Durham, Cabinet Member for The Arts, Heritage and Culture, said the decision will hopefully enable Greater Essex to “move forwards into broad sunlit uplands”. He added: “Perhaps we should regard this as our finest hour”.

The decision received cross-party support from across the Council Chamber.

Councillor David King, Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group, said: “This is a really important moment as you’ve said and it requires us all to put our shoulder to the wheel and to continue down the path that’s set here, and therefore I want to be really plain that I support this. It can make a huge difference done well.”

Councillor Ivan Henderson, Leader of the Labour Group, said it was an “exciting time” for Greater Essex.

He added: “I welcome this. I also want to mention that all of these changes, all of the work that’s taken place so far has been as a result of fantastic officers we have had, not just on this council but also around those city, borough and district councils who have all got involved. This is a big upheaval for a lot of those officers, but I think we should show our appreciation for all their work which has got us to where we are now.”

Councillor Wendy Stamp, Member of the Non-Aligned Group, added: “I know people have concerns, but I think if they are informed and give it a chance it is going to be better for everybody in the long term.

“I congratulate this authority, yourself, your cabinet and members of the opposition for actually taking this brave step to go forward and you do have my support.”

Funding will include a new multi-million pound 30-year Mayoral investment fund. This would be used to support strategic projects across Greater Essex to create jobs, increase skills, build homes and improve travel.

The new authority would cover the council areas of Essex County Council, Southend-on-Sea City Council and Thurrock Council. Southend and Thurrock completed their governance processes and agreed the arrangement earlier this year.

Following a further decision in Parliament, the MCCA will be established early next year. The first mayoral election is set to take place in May 2026.

The full Cabinet paper is available to view at: https://cmis.essex.gov.uk/essexcmis5/CalendarofMeetings/tabid/73/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/410/Meeting/5447/Committee/36/Default.aspx

Watch the full Cabinet meeting at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFtROxfL02Y.