THE government has announced its decision on Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Greater Essex, confirming the county will move to five new unitary councils.

The decision means Harlow Council, Epping Forest and Uttlesford councils will be replaced with a new Unitary Authority for West Essex from April 2028.

These five new authorities will replace the current 15 councils across Greater Essex and will be responsible for delivering all local services in each area, including waste collections, planning, adult social care, highways, children’s services and more.

Nothing will change until April 2028.

Rather than stopping work to prepare for local government reorganisation, Harlow Council has been transforming how it works to deliver its plan Building Harlow’s Future.

Speaking at last night’s (25 March) Full Council meeting, Councillor Dan Swords, Leader of Harlow Council, made it clear that changing councils in Essex is a Government decision and warned councillors not to underestimate the scale and cost of the task ahead.

Councillor Swords welcomed the Government’s recognition that Harlow should be at the centre of the new West Essex Council. He said it is in Harlow’s interests to ensure it is in the strongest possible position and leads the new authority. However, he also stressed the impact that reorganisation could have on delivering the multi‑million‑pound rebuild of the town and delivering what matters to residents. He highlighted “extreme concerns” about the timescales involved and how long it may take for the new authority to deliver benefits to taxpayers.

He added that the council is carefully considering the way forward given the extreme concerns over the timescales and work involved. In conclusion, he said:

“We do recognise the government is supporting and taking forward the business case that we, and most other Essex councils, supported, and we are carefully considering the way forward.”